SAN NICOLAS, Ilocos Norte—Local officials on Thursday declared a state of calamity in this town after the number of suspected chikungunya cases surged to more than 200, affecting at least four neighboring villages.
Vice Mayor Alfredo Valdez, a doctor, said the mosquito-borne disease might not be as deadly as dengue fever but many local farmers, who have contracted the disease, could not go to the fields and work.
In a special session on Thursday, the town council declared a state of calamity in San Nicolas so it could use its calamity funds for preventive measures against the spread of chikungunya.
Valdez said the town needed to buy additional medicines and conduct fumigation in 24 villages. Leilanie Adriano, Inquirer N. Luzon
MOST READ
LATEST STORIES