ILOILO – The province of Iloilo has been officially placed under a state of calamity due to a dengue outbreak. The declaration was made during the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) on Tuesday afternoon, August 20, after the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) recommended the action.
The SP also approved a calamity fund of P13.6 million as requested by the PDRRMC to bolster dengue response measures.
The fund will cover the purchase of IV fluids for district hospitals, totalling P3 million, and P5.6 million allocated for knapsack sprayers to be distributed across 43 municipalities, including Passi City, for chemical spraying operations.
Additionally, P2 million will be spent on dengue test kits, and another P3 million on chemicals for spraying.
Since the start of the year, the province has recorded a significant increase in dengue cases, with 5,836 instances and 10 deaths reported from January 1 to August 17, 2024. This represents a 418 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023, which saw only 1,127 cases.
Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral infection, manifests with severe flu-like symptoms which, in severe cases, can lead to death.
Symptoms include high fever reaching 104 degrees Fahrenheit, severe headaches, nausea or persistent vomiting, muscle and joint pain, swollen glands, pain behind the eyes, and visible red spots or patches on the skin.
Also during the session yesterday, SP members urged Dr. Maria Socorro Colmanares-Quiñon, head of the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO), to expand the dengue awareness campaign, especially at the barangay level, to enhance public awareness and prevention measures.
In declaring a state of calamity, the SP agreed that the province’s dengue situation has met the conditions set by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for such.
One of these is when there is an extremely high incidence of a certain disease, whether communicable or non-communicable disease within a community in a specific period of time, specific health-related behavior, or other health related events clearly beyond normal expectancy.
Another is when two or more municipalities or cities are affected by a disaster.
To date, Passi City and the municipalities of Miag-ao, Tigbauan, and Oton have own their own declared their respective territories as under a state of calamity due to dengue.
The town of Badiangan, on the other hand, declared a dengue outbreak.
As for dengue fatalities, the IPHO recorded the following:
* six years old, male from Miag-ao
* 16 years old, female from Miag-ao
* four years old, male from Lambunao
* 15 years old, male from Badiangan
* 20 years old, male from Badiangan
* 20 years old, male from Dingle
* eight years old, female from Igbaras
* 41 years old, female from Barotac Nuevo
* three years old, female from Banate
* 10 years old, male from Passi City/PN
