ILOILO CITY – The surge of dengue cases breaching the 106,000 total in the country as of yesterday, July 14 has increased by about 85% compared to last year’s, according to health Secretary Francisco Duque who raised a national health alert ‘Code Blue’ on dengue today.
Local radio broadcasts placed Western Visayas comprised by Panay, Guimaras and Negros Occidental on top of regions with high incidence of dengue infection numbering 13,357 cases and 78 deaths from January 1 to June 29, 2019.
Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores declared a dengue outbreak in the province today. Capiz and Guimaras provinces each declared dengue outbreaks last Friday, July 12 following health alerts from Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.
Gov. Defensor met with heads of the seven private hospitals in Iloilo City this weekend for a joint effort to accommodate dengue patients crowding the government-run hospitals in various towns of the province.
Iloilo has the most number with 4,454 dengue cases from January to June this year. Negros Occ. has 3,004 cases; Capiz 2,002; Aklan 1,567; Iloilo City 640; Bacolod City 504; Antique 407; and Guimaras 352, records of the Regional health office show.
Dengue infection which has no known cure and can be fatal is transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito.
Health officials are urging the public to “search and destroy breeding sites of mosquitoes, employ self-protection measures, seek early medical consultation, and support spraying of dengue hot spot areas.” (xxx)
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NO HOLIDAY VERSUS DENGUE: Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. presides over yesterday’s (Sunday) meeting of department heads at the capitol to tackle on the problems posed by the dengue outbreak.
