(Photo courtesy of PNA)
ILOILO CITY – The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) has urged barangays to reactivate their Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue task forces and strengthen cleanup campaigns amid a recent increase in dengue infections across the province.
Data from the Iloilo Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit showed that 5,151 dengue cases and 22 deaths were recorded from January 4 to October 31, 2026.
The figure was about 4 percent lower than the 5,373 cases reported during the same period last year, but health officials warned that the province could surpass its 2025 total if the recent upward trend continues.
Estancia recorded the highest number of infections with 535 cases and eight deaths, followed by Carles with 435 cases and five deaths, Calinog with 310, Dumangas with 259, and Cabatuan and Passi City with 256 each.
Other affected municipalities included Ajuy with 195 cases and two deaths, Balasan with 184, and Concepcion and Lambunao with 167 each.
Additional dengue-related deaths were reported in Sara, San Dionisio, Dingle, Miagao, Leon, San Rafael and San Joaquin.
IPHO head Maria Socorro Quiñon expressed concern over the increasing infections in Estancia despite interventions by provincial and municipal health authorities.
“The people took for granted the seek and destroy breeding places; their solid waste management is not good. If the management is not good, solid waste becomes the breeding sites of our mosquitoes,” Quiñon said Wednesday.
She warned that dengue transmission was spreading to neighboring municipalities, including Balasan, Batad and Carles, where cases were also increasing.
“We are emphasizing cleanup; look for breeding places. I am calling our barangays to activate their Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue,” she added.
Quiñon emphasized that dengue prevention should involve entire communities rather than relying solely on barangay health workers.
She urged households to implement the Department of Health’s 4S strategy, particularly searching for and destroying mosquito-breeding sites, while maintaining proper waste disposal and environmental sanitation.
Meanwhile, Iloilo City Councilor Alan Zaldivar called for sustained community participation in cleanup drives, sanitation programs and dengue awareness campaigns.
“Let us ensure that dengue prevention becomes a regular community undertaking and not merely an occasional activity whenever cases rise. I call upon our schools and universities to mobilize students as advocates of dengue prevention,” Zaldivar said.
Zaldivar, who chairs the city council’s health committee, also encouraged businesses, civic organizations, homeowners’ associations and religious groups to support dengue prevention activities.
Iloilo City recorded 844 dengue cases and nine deaths from January 4 to November 7, representing a 46.8 percent increase compared with the same period in 2025.
Health authorities reiterated that regular cleanup activities, proper waste management and the elimination of stagnant water are essential to reducing mosquito breeding and preventing further infections.
