Iloilo health office seeks public’s help as dengue cases rise

ANTI-DENGUE EFFORT. The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) collects mosquito larvae and identifies new breeding sites in Barangay Odiongan, Badiangan on June 13. The IPHO is appealing to the public to help in the campaign against dengue as cases in the province continue to rise. (Photo courtesy of IPHO)

ILOILO CITY — The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) is appealing to the public to help campaign against dengue as cases in the province continue to rise.

The provincial epidemiology and surveillance data showed that from Jan 1 to July 20 this year, Iloilo had 2,493 cases, including six deaths, an increase of 161 percent compared with the 956 cases with no deaths in the same period in 2023.

During the 29th monitoring week, the province recorded 440 cases against the over 300 cases in the 28th week of monitoring.

Despite the intensive anti-dengue efforts through the Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue (ABKD) and information education dissemination campaigns, all local governments in the province had already logged dengue cases, with 32 barangays having a clustering of cases.

READ: Dengue cases up in Western Visayas

“The Iloilo provincial government, PHO, and local health offices cannot combat dengue on our own; we need help from the community to search and destroy breeding places,” said IPHPO head Dr. Maria Socorro C. Quiñon in an interview on Tuesday.

The provincial health office urged the public to observe the 5S strategy: search and destroy mosquito breeding places; secure self-protection; seek early consultation when signs and symptoms of dengue occur; say yes to fogging as a last resort when there is an impending outbreak; and stay hydrated as dehydration is a fatal complication in dengue patients.

The IPHO said that while the province was still below the epidemic alert threshold level, the municipalities of Badiangan and Lemery had already reached it.

Badiangan, now with 118 cases, declared a state of calamity last month. In contrast, cases in Lemery are reported to be manageable based on the initial assessment.

Passi City, on the other hand, is listed with an alarming rise in cases, or close to the epidemic alert threshold level.

As the situation remains critical, the IPHO reminded the public to be proactive in helping prevent dengue outbreaks.

“We will continue to respond along with LGUs to conduct an outbreak response,” Quiñon said. (With reports from Grace Salumag-WVSU OJT/PNA)

READ: Iloilo experiences rise in dengue cases amid dry spell