ANGELES CITY SEES DECLINE IN HFMD CASES AFTER PREVENTIVE MEASURES

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Admin

ANGELES CITY – Mayor Carmelo "Pogi" Lazatin, Jr. announced a significant decrease in Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) cases in Angeles City following the implementation of precautionary preventive measures.

According to data from January 1 to February 10, 2025, by the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) and City Health Office (CHO), an increasing trend was observed starting January 12, peaking on January 20 with 14 cases reported.

In response, the CESU and CHO conducted an investigation on January 23, prompting Mayor Lazatin to order immediate disinfection of all public and private schools, as well as daycare centers, the following day.

After these interventions, a noticeable drop in cases was observed.

On January 25, the cases were at 9 and further declined to 3 by January 26.

From January 26 onwards, the number of cases continued to decrease, with no day exceeding 4 cases.

Notably, by February 3, cases spiked briefly to 7, but from February 4 onwards, the daily case count remained consistently low, ranging from 1 to 4 cases per day.

The data clearly indicates that after reaching the peak of 14 cases on January 20, there was a substantial decline following the preventive disinfection, with cases dropping to as low as 1 per day in February.

Mayor Lazatin commended the collaborative efforts of the Angeles City Barangay Outreach, led by Michael Lising; Angeles City Environment and Natural Resources Office, headed by Jenifer Castro; CHO, led by Dr. Verona Guevarra and supervised by Sanitation Division Chief Alvin Dingal; and Environmental Management System and Angeles City Traffic Development Office, both headed by Francis Pangilinan, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures to safeguard public health.

“Through our continuous disinfection drives and information campaigns, we are committed to ensuring the well-being of our community, especially our children,” Mayor Lazatin said.

The city's initiatives include heightened sanitation protocols at the 106 schools – 51 public and 55 private – and all day care centers, as well as intensified public awareness campaigns to further control the spread of HFMD.