CAPIZ – This province was placed under a state of calamity yesterday afternoon, August 22, due to the sharp increase in dengue cases.
“In my official capacity as governor of the province, I hereby declare that there is a state of calamity in the province of Capiz due to dengue outbreak,” Gov. Fredenil Castro announced yesterday.
This comes after the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to place the province under a state of calamity during an emergency meeting yesterday.
Gov. Castro immediately ordered the Provincial Health Office (PHO) to intensify its fogging operation particularly in areas with high dengue cases.
“We have been preparing our war against dengue for several months already. We have been taught a lesson that curative is not a solution but a prevention. And as much as possible we want to prevent the proliferation, if not stop the continuing rise in the number of dengue victims in our province,” the governor added.
Based on data presented by Dr. Ramon Alex Nolasco, Provincial Health Officer II, during the emergency meeting, Capiz recorded 1,783 dengue cases with four deaths from January 1 to August 17 this year. This number is 279.36 percent higher than the 470 cases logged in the same period last year.
Here is the breakdown of the cases per municipality, including Roxas City: Cuartero (57), Dao (92), Dumalag (84), Dumarao (153), Ivisan (52), Jamindan (34), Maayon (70), Mambusao (140), Panay (64), Panit-an (107), Pilar (37), Pontevedra (71), President Roxas (56), Roxas City (600), Sapi-an (55), Sigma (145), and Tapaz (66).
Nolasco said the provincial government has been conducting fogging and misting operations across the province. Larvicides were also distributed to areas with clustering of cases.
The provincial health officer also thanked the community health volunteers such as barangay health workers who are actively campaigning against dengue in their respective barangays.
“We are asking or appealing sang help sang barangay leaders in implementing the Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue,” added Nolasco./PN
