WITH the onset of the scorching summer season, the regional health agency issues a public alert regarding the prevalence of El Niño-related health incidents, having documented 6,011 cases in February alone.Dr. Shelbay Blanco, a medical officer at the Department of Health Central Visayas , attributed these cases to the ongoing dry spell induced by the strong El Niño phenomenon.
Blanco said that they collaborated with other government agencies through the Regional Task Office El Niño, wherein they participated in routine meetings to devise strategies alongside other government agencies, employing a whole-of-government approach to mitigate the effects of El Niño.Blanco stressed that the task force's environmental division currently monitors water supply in Cebu and neighboring provinces in the region through rural health units and sanitary inspectors.