ANOTHER STATE OF CALAMITY. The Iloilo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council passes a resolution lifting the state of calamity due to pertussis and declaring another due to a dengue outbreak, during a meeting at the City Mayor's Office on Tuesday (Aug. 27, 2024). Iloilo City has recorded 824 positive dengue cases, with four deaths, from Jan. 1 to Aug. 24, according to the City Health Office. (PNA photo by Perla G. Lena)
ILOILO CITY – The local government here is preparing for another state of calamity secondary to the dengue outbreak while gearing up to lift its state of calamity status due to pertussis.
“Dengue is a challenge for us,” Dr. Anabelle Tang, City Health Office (CHO) head, said during a press conference on Tuesday after the approval of a resolution by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council declaring a state of calamity because of the dengue outbreak.
According to the CHO, Iloilo City had 824 positive dengue cases, with four deaths from Jan. 1 to Aug. 24, registering a 50.9 percent increase compared with the same period last year.
It said 62 of the city’s 180 barangays have a clustering of cases and one hotspot.
Tang said the main reasons for the declaration are to increase awareness about the increasing cases and induce positive community response, such as working together in cleanup activities.
“We already have four deaths. We don’t want any more deaths up to the end of the year,” she said.
With the upcoming state of calamity declaration, the CHO has proposed PHP7.4 million for procuring chemicals and testing kits.
In a separate interview, Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said the game plan is to procure misting machines and sufficient chemicals that would be provided to all barangays and schools.
“We will request them to do the misting. We will conduct regular cleanup in barangays and all the schools weekly,” he said.
Treñas also wants to conduct a massive information drive with the help of the media.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Council) is expected to act on the declaration of the state of calamity due to dengue and the lifting of the state of calamity due to pertussis during its regular session on Wednesday.
The city is still in a state of calamity due to water scarcity. (PNA)
