ILOILO – From Jan. 1 to Nov. 26 of this year, 2,851 dengue cases were recorded here, with 20 deaths – significantly lower than in 2019 when the province listed 22,167 cases with 73 deaths, data released by the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) showed.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. is grateful that the province has not experienced a dengue surge.
“Waay ang surge nga gina-ekspektar naton kag maayo gid. Salamat gid,” said Defensor in an interview yesterday morning.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection causing a severe flu-like illness that could be fatal if not managed well. Its carriers are day-biting mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti) that breed in clear, stagnant water.
The Department of Health said peak in dengue cases has been observed every three to four years. The Philippines had a spike in dengue cases in 2016 and in 2019.
The governor credits this year’s lower cases to the early preparation and prevention efforts of the provincial government through the IPHO, together with the local governments of 42 towns and one component city.
According to Defensor, the provincial government has been campaigning to the public and concerned stakeholders since January 2022 to regularly clean their surroundings and practice the 5S strategy: search and destroy mosquito breeding sites, secure self-protection, seek early consultation, support fogging and spraying only in hotspot areas, and follow safety and health protocols.
Aside from this, Defensor said the IPHO, together with the municipal health offices (MHOs), conducts information dissemination on how to prevent the spread of dengue-carrying mosquitoes in barangays and seeks the public’s cooperation to join the campaign.
Also, the governor prepared the province’s 12 district hospitals and the Iloilo Provincial Hospital in Pototan town to ensure that all dengue patients are attended to in case of a surge in cases.
The provincial government also purchased dengue test kits, IV fluids, and medicines for dengue patients in areas with high dengue cases.
Defensor has been thankful for this year’s situation, unlike in 2019 when district hospitals were bursting at the seams with dengue patients.
“We prepared with respect to hospital space, dengue test kits and the medicines that we needed pero waay da nakalab-ot ang aton expectation kag nagapasalamat kita, although ang numero subong nga tuig mas mataas kon basehan ang nagligad nga tuig,” added Defensor.
In 2021, the province had 451 dengue cases with one death.
For this year, here are the 10 towns with the highest number of dengue cases: Oton (256), San Joaquin (226), Tubungan (185), Guimbal (176 cases with four deaths), Banate (168), Miag-ao (151 cases with two deaths), Pototan (118), Dumangas (116 cases with one death), Pavia (111), and Leon (98).
Here are the remaining towns, including Passi City, with recorded cases: Passi City (94 cases with two deaths), Tigbauan (89), Calinog (84), Dueñas (73), Barotac Nuevo (61 cases with one death), Alimodian (60 with two deaths), Dingle (60 cases with one death), Estancia (56), Santa Barbara (46 cases with one death), San Dionisio (43 cases with one death), Barotac Viejo (42 cases with one death), Sara (42), Cabatuan (41), Janiuay (40), Balasan (37), Igbaras (36 cases with one death), San Miguel (35), Carles (34), Lemery (33), Leganes (29 cases with two deaths), Concepcion (25), Ajuy (23), Lambunao (20), Anilao (20), Maasin (20), San Enrique (18 cases with one death), Badiangan (16), New Lucena (15), Zarraga (15), Batad (14), Mina (eight), Bingawan (eight), and San Rafael (seven).
Defensor asks the public to continue the clean-up efforts, particularly locating and destroying dengue-mosquito breeding places, to maintain or even lessen the number of cases./PN
