ILOILO CITY – Dengue cases in Western Visayas increased by 114 percent in the first six months of this year, the Department of Health-6 reported on Monday, August 12.
The DOH-6 Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit recorded 10,188 dengue cases from January 1 to August 3, 2024, 5,428 more compared to the same period last year with 4,760.
The DOH-6 logged 1,743 new cases in the 31st morbidity week.
The province of Iloilo has the highest number of cases with 3,914 and six deaths, an increase of 252 percent.
Negros Occidental province was second with 1,584 cases, including six deaths.
Aklan logged 1,319 cases and one death, 1,063 and three deaths in Capiz, 809 cases and one death in Guimaras, 637 cases and one death in Aklan, 482 cases and one death in Iloilo City, and 360 cases and one death in Bacolod City.
The DOH-6 said that there are more than 500 barangays that registered a clustering of dengue cases – three or more cases reported within the last four consecutive weeks – across the region.
Dr. Bea Camille Fillaro-Natalaray, medical coordinator for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, said that Iloilo had the highest number of clustering of cases with 234 barangays.
The DOH-6 urged local government units (LGUs) to boost their anti-dengue programs on the barangay level to curb the number of cases.
Dengue is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people, according to the World Health Organization.