Dengue cases in Iloilo up to 179 with six deaths

Dengue cases in Iloilo province climbed to 179, with six fatalities, this year from January 1 to May 7, 2022, based on the data from the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO).

The 179 dengue cases are 24 percent higher than 144 cases recorded in the same period last year.

Notably, Iloilo province logged zero casualties last year compared to six deaths so far this year.

Data from the IPHO indicated that 33 out of the 43 local government units (LGUs) in the province have dengue cases.

The town of San Joaquin logged the highest number of cases with 34.

IPHO reported that Brgy. Lawigan in San Joaquin has a clustering of cases with 17 infections.

Guimbal recorded the second highest number of dengue cases with 21 cases, followed by Estancia (15), Miagao (9), and Tigbauan (9).

Meanwhile, dengue fatalities were recorded in Guimbal (2), Miag-ao (1), Igbaras (1), Leganes (1), and Passi City (1).

Last February, the Iloilo provincial government placed the province under Alert Level 5 in preparation for the possible surge of dengue cases.

“It is Alert Level 5 because we added one ‘S’ which is social distancing. Because the 4S program is a cleanup component, we will do our best to do the cleanup which will focus on dengue together with the barangays and municipalities,” Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. said in a press conference.

The 4S +1 strategy incorporates social distancing in the existing 4S Strategy Kontra Dengue initiative. 4S stands for Search and Destroy, Self-Protection Measures, Seek Early Consultation, and Support Fogging/Spraying.

The provincial government appealed to the public to cooperate with the 4S+1 strategy to prevent the possible surge of dengue cases. Dengue operates on a three-year cycle and peaks in the third year.

In 2019, the province of Iloilo has declared a dengue outbreak. During the 2019 outbreak, the peak of dengue cases was recorded in July. Hence, this year, 2022 will be the third year since the outbreak. (DG)