As dengue cases rise across the country, residents of a neighborhood in downtown Manila lined up on Wednesday to receive a bounty: one peso for every five mosquitoes, dead or alive.
The village captain of Addition Hills, Carlito Cernal, stated that when paired with neighborhood cleanup initiatives, the awareness-raising activity he started might have a “huge impact” on halting the spread of the tropical disease.
Residents who brought pails, glasses, and other containers full of dengue-spreading insects to trade for cash at the village hall were enthusiastic, but Philippine health officials and specialists who talked to AFP were less convinced.
Village officials duly counted the three live specimens that Iluminado Candasua delivered in a sealed plastic cup and moved them to their so-called death chamber, a UV light machine covered in glass.
