ILOILO CITY — Even with the continuing threat of COVID-19, the provincial government of Iloilo is also heightening measures against mosquito-borne disease dengue.
Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. said Iloilo province is going to be placed under Alert Level 5 to fully implement a holistic anti-dengue measure dubbed as “5S Strategy Kontra Dengue”.
The governor said the 5S Strategy Kontra Dengue supplements the pre-pandemic dengue measures initiated by the Department of Health (DOH), which was the 4S Strategy Kontra Dengue.
The fifth strategy of social distancing is an added measure to the 4S, which is search and destroy; self-protection measures; seek early consultation, and support fogging or spraying.
“It is Alert Level 5 because we added one S which is social distancing,” Defensor reiterated.
Based on data from the Iloilo Provincial Health Office, there were already 29 dengue cases including two deaths from January 1-29, 2022.
The Iloilo provincial government is prioritizing this to avoid a dengue outbreak, which occurred in 2019.
If a dengue outbreak occurs in conjunction with the ongoing COVID-19 threat, Defensor said it will be an added burden both to hospitals and medical frontline workers.
The governor has already met the majority of the mayors of the 42 towns and component city of Passi to discuss the anti-dengue strategies that will be cascaded in their respective localities.
“Because the 4S program is a cleanup component, we will do our best to do the cleanup which will focus on dengue together with the barangays and municipalities,” Defensor added.