ILOILO CITY — A dengue outbreak has been declared in Iloilo province following an increase in the number of victims.
Gov. Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. declared the outbreak on Wednesday, August 14, five years after the last one in 2019.
GOV. Arthur ‘Toto’ Defensor Jr. confirms a dengue outbreak in Iloilo province on Wednesday, August 14. (Tara Yap)
As of August 14, the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) recorded 4,595 dengue cases with 10 fatalities from January 1 to August 10, 2024 in the 42 towns and component city of Passi.
The component city of Passi has the highest number of dengue cases in the province with 344, including one fatality.
The city government had earlier declared a state of calamity after an 856 percent increase in the number of cases compared to the same period last year with only 36.
Dr. Rodney Labis, chief of the IPHO Health Service Delivery Division, said the number of dengue cases in the first eight months of this year went up by 320 percent compared to the same period of last year with only 1,095.
Passi City was followed by Oton town with 223 dengue cases.
Defensor assured that the provincial government will boost the capacity of LGUs in combating the rising number of dengue cases.