Decline in cases reported in 2 Visayas regions

ILOILO CITY—The number of cases of dengue in Western and Eastern Visayas is on the decline, according to health authorities.

The Department of Health’s Center for Health and Development (CHD) in Western Visayas monitored 1,423 cases in the region from Jan. 1 to July 9, 65 percent lower than the 4,063 cases reported in the same period last year.

The number of fatalities also dropped from 26 last year to 19 this year.

The health department also reported a drop in the number of dengue cases in Eastern Visayas.

At least 463 dengue cases were recorded in region from January to Aug. 8, more than 90 percent lower than the 6,771 cases reported over the same period in 2010. There were 75 deaths from January to Aug. 8 last year.

But this year, only two deaths were reported—one each from Javier town and Ormoc City, both in Leyte.

Health authorities attributed the decline in the number of cases in both regions to the continuous campaign to clean up surroundings and remove the breeding grounds of mosquitoes.

Last year, Western Visayas was among the areas with the most dengue cases with the provinces of Iloilo, Capiz and Guimaras declared as calamity areas due to the high number of cases.