City targets dengue misting in all barangays

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Riding on a significant decline in dengue cases this year, the Iloilo City Government is aiming to complete misting operations in all 180 barangays by August to sustain its anti-dengue campaign and prevent another surge in infections.

As of July 2, data from the City Health Office showed that the city had conducted misting activities in 109 barangays, 14 schools, one government office, and six private offices.

To strengthen mosquito control in schools, the city also distributed 100 Olyset nets, a long-lasting insecticidal mosquito net, to day care centers.

“Our planning activity, our early intervention is we conduct misting ahead of time even if we do not have scheduled or we have scheduled we make sure to reach out 180 barangays for misting by August this year,” said Jennifer Christie Avenir, chief of the CHO’s Environmental Sanitation Division, on Thursday, July 2.

From Jan. 1 to June 27, the CHO recorded 140 dengue cases and one death.

This was a 45.3% drop from more than 300 cases during the same period in 2025.

Children remain the most vulnerable, with the highest number of cases recorded among those 1 to 10 years old.

The CHO also identified a clustering of dengue cases in one barangay, while La Paz district recorded the highest number of cases this year.

Avenir attributed the decline to the city’s early intervention strategy through massive misting efforts.

“Even though there is no request, we will automatically conduct misting as long as we monitor suspected dengue cases,” she said.

For barangays with recurring dengue cases, the CHO conducts perimeter misting every three months and uses new insecticides to prevent mosquitoes from developing resistance to the chemicals.

Avenir said misting alone is not enough and urged barangays to conduct cleanup drives before scheduled spraying operations.

“We call on the barangays that if there is a scheduled misting it should be that the preparatory procedure is to continue a clean-up drive,” she said.

She also encouraged village officials to promote weekly household cleanup activities, particularly every Saturday, to eliminate mosquito breeding sites.

“Practice the 5S strategy throughout the year, not only during the rainy season, because mosquitoes can also breed during the hot season,” she added.

The dengue 5S strategy stands for search and destroy mosquito breeding sites, self-protection measures, seek early consultation, support fogging in outbreak areas, and sustain hydration.

Health authorities continue to remind the public that dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease commonly spread by Aedes mosquitoes, which breed in stagnant water.

Avenir also credited the sustained cleanup campaigns conducted by barangays as another key factor behind the reduction in dengue cases.

Marlou Avancena of the CHO’s epidemiological surveillance unit said other monitored diseases also showed decreasing trends.

The city logged 13 suspected leptospirosis cases, a 35% decrease from last year, with all cases still awaiting laboratory confirmation.

Cases of waterborne diseases also declined.

Typhoid fever dropped by 69%, from 35 cases last year to 11 cases this year.

Rotavirus infections slightly decreased from 37 to 34 cases, while no cholera cases have been reported since last year.

However, influenza-like illnesses increased significantly to 72 cases from just one case during the same period in 2025.

Avancena attributed the increase in influenza-like illnesses to improved disease surveillance and reporting by health facilities.

He added that the decline in waterborne and vector-borne diseases reflects improved public awareness and the effectiveness of the city’s sustained health campaigns.

“The trend of decrease is because our citizens are partly aware of how to prevent it. Our campaign is also a key,” he said.