Dengue cases in Western Visayas surged by 88 percent, according to the 30th morbidity week monitoring by the Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU). The latest data reveals a worrying trend with Iloilo province leading the spike.
Iloilo recorded the highest number of dengue cases at 3,174, marking a 204 percent increase from the previous year, with six fatalities. Following are Negros Occidental (1,318), Aklan (1,158), Capiz (852), Guimaras (671), Antique (579), Iloilo City (463), and Bacolod City (313).
The total number of dengue cases in the region stands at 4,494, with 1,213 new cases and 16 deaths reported. Dr. Maria Socorro Quiñon of the Iloilo Provincial Health Office noted a continuous rise in dengue cases in Iloilo, with more than 100 new cases recorded weekly.
Quiñon expressed alarm over the increasing number of barangays experiencing clustering of cases.
Currently, 142 barangays have clusters of dengue cases, and 34 out of 43 municipalities have reported dengue cases.
Passi City has the highest number of clustered cases with 12 barangays affected, followed by Barotac Nuevo with eight barangays, and Dingle, Dumangas, and Lambunao with seven barangays each.
Quiñon emphasized the importance of searching for and destroying mosquito breeding sites in combating dengue.
“Early consultation is one component of our 4S strategy, but the most crucial action is to search and destroy breeding sites,” she said.
She also called on the Parents and Teachers Association to support schools in Iloilo Province by investing in adulticides and conducting indoor residual spraying in classrooms and on school walls to eliminate dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
