RISING CASES. The distribution of dengue cases in Iloilo province. In a press conference on Wednesday (Aug. 14, 2024), Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. said there is already a dengue outbreak in the province. (Image screengrab from IPHO report)
ILOILO CITY – The city and province of Iloilo have intensified efforts to prevent a further rise in dengue cases.
The provincial epidemiological surveillance unit of the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) recorded 4,585 cases with 10 deaths from Jan. 1 to Aug. 10 this year, higher by 319 percent compared with the 1,095 cases with one death posted in the same period last year.
From Aug. 4 to 10, the health office said the province recorded 32 recovered cases out of 994.
Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., in a press conference on Wednesday, said the province, based on parameters, reached the threshold and there is already a dengue outbreak.
"We have a determination, and the outbreak, of course, is based on numbers and criteria based on the issuance of the Department of Health. We have a determination from the DOH based on numbers which we also know that we reached the threshold, and we can say that we have (an) outbreak," he said.
Defensor said they just need a formal declaration, but the information has been cascaded to local government units (LGUs).
The provincial disaster risk reduction and management office and the civil defense cluster have already shifted to the blue alert status as they are in a disaster mode.
Defensor said he would issue a memorandum for LGUs to intensify the implementation of the 4S strategy (search and destroy, self-protection measures, seek early consultation, and say yes to fogging and misting).
The provincial government, he added, would gather funds to augment the capacity of LGUs.
Meanwhile, Iloilo City has recorded 649 cases from Jan. 1 to Aug. 10.
During the monitoring week from Aug. 4-10, the health office recorded 582 cases with two deaths, higher by 13.7 percent compared with the same period last year, according to Iloilo City Health Officer Dr. Roland Jay Fortuna.
He said the 366 cases in the previous week were still lower by 23.8 percent compared with the same period last year.
There is also a clustering of cases in 40 of the 180 barangays in the city.
Clustering is when a barangay has at least three cases for four consecutive weeks.
Fortuna said they are also monitoring hospitals, which they required to send daily reports.
While the utilization of Covid-19 beds is low, that of non-Covid beds in wards, which include dengue cases, is already high.
“What is alarming is (the utilization of) non-Covid hospital beds in wards at 76.04 percent from last week's 70 percent. We might get overwhelmed, and difficult for us to admit patients,” he said.
They are now preparing the second floor of the La Paz Maternity Clinic as a hydration center.
Fortuna also encouraged schools to forego the wearing of school uniforms and allow learners to wear pants or any clothing that can protect them from mosquito bites since data showed that most of those affected are school-age children.
Both the city and provincial governments also pushed for more cleanup efforts to search and destroy mosquito breeding places and seek early medical intervention. (PNA)
