IN BRIEF

Belmonte raises alarm on rise of leptospirosis

QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Monday raised the alarm over rise of leptospirosis incidence in the city, saying at l0 cases are record daily.

She said the city government is doing its best to address the increase in the leptospirosis cases over the past two weeks, and directed the Quezon City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (QCESU) to take appropriate actions.

Data from QCESU showed an increasing number of leptospirosis cases in the past two weeks with 26 cases reported from July 22 to Aug. 4. Notably, 10 were recorded on Aug. 1, the highest number of cases in a single day.

To curb the spread of the disease and protect individuals at risk, the use of Doxycycline or antibiotics to treat infections has been distributed in barangay health centers, QCESU chief Dr. Rolando Cruz said.

Early diagnosis is critical to preventing severe complications that could lead to hospitalization, Belmonte said. Rio N.

Araja

SPD chief urges public: Be vigilant vs. crimes

THE Southern Police District has called on the public to remain vigilant and report any information that may help the police in going after the criminals.

SPD director Brig. Gen. Roderick Mariano made the call following the successful rescue of a 10-year old kidnap victim in Las Pinas City.

The operation conducted by the Parañaque City Police on Aug. 5 also resulted in the arrest of the suspect along Tramo Street, Evergreen in Barangay Pulang Lupa Uno. The rescue operation was made only three hours after the incident was reported to the police by a concerned resident.

Prior to this, another 10-year-old victim had been reported missing and was last seen on July 27, 2023. The victim’s mother has sought assistance from the Investigation and Detective Management Section of Paranaque City Police.

The authorities advised the mother to share the suspect’s photograph and the victim’s details on social media platforms.

Joel E Zurbano

Win flags low enrolment in early child education

SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday flagged the low enrolment in early childhood education, noting that only 9 percent of children aged two to four are enrolled in the country’s national and local child development centers (CDCs) for school year 2022-2023.

This means only 608,614 of the estimated 6,835,586 children aged two to four are enrolled in the CDCs. Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, noted that this falls far short of the goal of achieving universal ECCD coverage.

The UNICEF said Early Childhood Education- Kindergarten to Grade 4 Longitudinal Study in 2021 learners who received early childhood education had better average scores in Literacy (697) by Grade 4 compared to those who did not (672). Macon Ramos-Araneta