ILOILO CITY – The province of Iloilo is once again placed in a state of calamity due to a dengue outbreak.
This developed as the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) adopted a resolution declaring another state of calamity in the province, during its regular session on Tuesday.
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) head Cornelio R. Salinas, in an interview on Wednesday, said the declaration of the state of calamity is one way to send a message that the number of dengue cases in the province is high and responding to the concern is a “shared responsibility.”
“The provincial government allocated PHP13.6 million from the quick response of the PDRRMO,” Salinas said.
The funds will be used to procure medical supplies to be distributed among local government units and hospitals for their dengue outbreak response, chemical and acid-resistant sprayers, and IV fluids.
Salinas said they expect medical interventions and mitigating measures identified by the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) to be distributed in three weeks.
Data from the IPHO - Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (PESU) showed that from Jan. 1 to Aug. 17, the province had 5,836 cases with 10 deaths, an increase of 417.8 percent compared with the 1,127 cases with no deaths in the same period last year.
The data also showed an increase in clustering barangays to 357, spread among 43 LGUs from the previous week’s 268 barangays in 39 LGUs.
The province is still in a state of calamity due to El Niño.
Meanwhile, the city government opened its hydration center on the second floor of the La Paz Maternity Reproductive Clinic on Wednesday.
The hydration center, with 30 hospital beds, is to prevent possible congestion in hospitals, City Health Officer Dr. Annabelle Tang said.
From Jan. 1 to Aug. 17, Iloilo City recorded 775 cases with three deaths, higher than the 541 cases with three deaths logged in the same period last year. (PNA)
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