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There’s nothing better than drinking hot cocoa or lying in the warmth of your bed all day while it’s raining outside. The rainy season is here in Cagayan de Oro once again and it’s going to stay for a good long while. On the other hand, the rainy season isn’t all warm sheets, warm drinks and indoor fun, because the wet season also brings rather disastrous diseases, one of which is dengue fever.

The number of dengue cases has been increasing every year in the Philippines despite prevention programs conducted by the government and health care facilities. In fact, in Cagayan de Oro City alone, 500 dengue cases have been recorded since January 2010, whereas there were only 300 cases last year within the same period. Furthermore, out of the 500 dengue-stricken patients, five succumbed to the disease and died.

What is Dengue?

Tiny as they are, mosquitoes can cause so many diseases, from yellow fever to malaria to dengue.

Dengue is caused by a virus and is transmitted by a mosquito species called Aedes aegypti. While the disease is more common in tropical countries, 2.5 billion people around the world are now at risk of getting this deadly disease, according to the WHO.

How Can We Prevent It?

As with other diseases, there are ways to prevent dengue fever. However, at present, no vaccine has been tested and approved yet, although there is ongoing vaccine research and development.

Aside from vaccination, other preventive measures aim to effectively eliminate possible breeding grounds of mosquitoes. Since these killer mosquitoes thrive in areas with stagnant water, you should be able to easily spot environments with standing water, such as basins, pails, basins or even cups. Water sources that remain stagnant for over a week are most probably inhabited by mosquitoes. It is good to always cover drainage systems, which should have a constant flow of water so that mosquito eggs are flushed out.

Another prevention method is fogging, which is similar to spraying your house with insecticide, only it uses a machine that blasts the gases to potential breeding grounds. Fogging also kills mosquitoes, as well as eggs that haven’t hatched yet.

Tree planting is also a proven mosquito repellent. There are several species of plants, like the Neem tree, that release natural chemicals or gasses that mosquitoes can’t stand.

There are several other preventive steps that fight dengue. Follow this guide to keep you and your family safe.

by Gillian Abonitalla

Gaston Park is one of the locations where Kagay-anons savor the afternoon sun. It has several attractions like the children’s playground, benches and lush green gardens. It is mostly crowded during Sundays, as St. Augustine Cathedral holds masses starting late in the afternoon up to the early evening. What makes the place even more crowded are the mobile food stalls that line up at the side of the park. Last 2009, the park was renovated and all the work was finished in December, before the year ended. In fact, the park re-opened just in time for Christmas.

The trees that surrounded the park were decorated with Christmas lights, which appealed to the viewing public, especially when lit at night. The one-hectare park now has a new landscape, including newly planted grass. The fountain lights were still being worked on at that time. There were Chinese Pagoda decorations on the landscape; earlier reports said that the park would have a Chinese-Japanese-Korean-Filipino-inspired landscaping. Apart from the landscape, the lamp posts were redesigned and resembled those put up in the streets of Divisoria.

When the park was officially declared open during the yearly Light-A-Tree event, which is celebrated every Christmas season, the whole place, including the City Hall, was lit up with blinking lights and decorations. Former City Mayor Constantino “Tinnex” Jaraula and then Vice Mayor Vicente “Dongkoy” Emano, along with the City council members, were some of the guests in the ceremony, which was also attended by city hall workers, chiefs of office, as well as department heads. The lighting ceremony was held last December 15th, in time for the churchgoers to see the lights as they attend the first “Simbang Gabi” at the Cathedral the next day.

The renovation was not possible without the generous donations of the members of the Chinese-Filipino Chamber of Commerce and Industry in CDO. Initially, the contribution was a check for P200,000, but it later accumulated up to twice the initial amount.

Former Mayor Jaraula planned to put up a state-of-the-art widescreen that featured graphics, moving texts and images, and it would function like a community billboard at the park. However, no updates have been disclosed about this project as of now.

This 2010, Gaston Park was again renovated to further improve the developments it already had late last year.

Named after Segundo Gaston, the first mayor of the City of Golden Friendship, Gaston Park is situated across the St. Augustine Cathedral and the Palace of the Archbishop. This Kagay-anon landmark is rich in history; it was the plaza of the first settlement of the Spaniards in 1622. During the inception of Pueblo de Cagayan in 1624, it was considered the center of the town. In the 1900s, it was the training base for local revolutionary soldiers who were readying themselves for the Philippine-American War. The site was likewise the battleground of one of the most gruesome clashes between the two forces at that time.

To commemorate the hundreds who died during the battle, a National Historical Institute Marker was made and placed in the park. Another marker is said to be put up in the park to make known to the people today what the park meant during the Spanish settlement.

by Rose Anne Quirante
Photo taken from: 4.bp.blogspot.com

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