OLASO and Miravite (City Hall PIO)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The city government declared a dengue epidemic on Tuesday, Aug. 4, after the number of cases soared to more than 1,000 in recent weeks.
City Health Office records showed 1,241 active cases from 39 out of 98 barangays and 12 deaths. Figures showed a 500 percent increase for the first six months of this year compared to 2025.
In a press conference Tuesday, Mayor Khymer Olaso said 39 out of 98 barangays here exhibited recent case clustering with the number of cases concentrated in Barangays Calarian, Santa Maria, Talon Talon, Ayala, and Putik.
City Health Officer Dr. Dulce Miravite said entomological thresholds were breached by up to 12 times the safety limit.
Olaso has ordered an intensified cleanliness and sanitation campaign to destroy breeding places of mosquitoes. Zamboanga City last experienced a dengue epidemic in 2022.