Climate Information and Dengue Risk Reduction: Strategizing at the Barangay Level in Baybay, Leyte

Abstract

This study is a descriptive analysis of barangay officials’ risk reduction strategies against dengue, an infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes in their communities. The objectives behind the study are: (1) to determine respondents’ access and exposure to information on dengue, (2) to ascertain respondents’ understanding of dengue, (3) to find out the strategies respondents currently use to reduce risks of dengue, and (4) to determine respondents’ risk reduction strategies for dengue based on seasonal climate forecasts. The study’s respondents are officials of Barangay Kansungka and Barangay Gacat, Baybay, Leyte who participated in a focus group discussion to enable the researcher to extract data on the disease, knowledge of the disease, sources of information on the disease, and experiences on the disease. The study is anchored on the constructivist perspective of research, a view that argues that reality is a product of an individual’s construction, a product of his/her interaction with the environment, other people, and years of experience. The findings of the study are the following: (1) the respondent’s sources of information on the disease is through the media (especially the television and radio), and information drives and lectures by health workers in the city; (2) the officials are knowledgeable about the disease; (3) current strategies include cleanup operations, discarding standing water containers, and burning of garbage; and (4) their strategies based on climate information – normal, dry and wet climate forecast – are very much similar. This study concludes that the respondents do not recognize the relationship between rainfall patterns and risk of dengue. This suggests the need to heighten awareness of the relationship between rainfall patterns and the disease. Moreover, climate information should be disseminated or made available to local officials.