Iloilo City readies hydration unit as dengue cases rise

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The city government of Iloilo is preparing the Hydration Unit at La Paz Maternity and Reproductive Health Center in response to a recent uptick in dengue cases.

Dr. Roland Jay Fortuna, Assistant Department Head of the City Health Office (CHO), stated that establishing separate facilities for hydration will help decongest hospitals, reserving them for patients with severe dengue symptoms who require close monitoring or intervention.

“We are now preparing our hydration units to decongest hospitals for those who only need hydration. Some patients are staying in the hospital as outpatients without needing admission,” Fortuna said during a press conference on Wednesday, August 14.

Although a detailed breakdown of hospital admissions for dengue patients is not yet available, the CHO is closely monitoring hospital bed occupancy for COVID-19 patients, which currently stands at 9.64 percent.

“What is alarming is the non-COVID ward occupancy, which is currently at 76.04 percent. Last year, it was only around 70 percent,” Fortuna emphasized.

At the hydration unit, the health office will provide oral rehydration or intravenous (IV) fluid administration and monitor dengue-positive patients without warning signs, following the Department of Health guidelines.

The hydration unit was initially opened in 2019 during a dengue outbreak in the city.

Fortuna noted that the CHO is currently refining protocols for admitting patients who need hydration, ensuring that COVID-19 protocols are in place.

He highlighted the complications that can arise from concomitant COVID-19 infections in dengue patients, stressing that placing these patients in a single facility could lead to worse outcomes.

“We are refining the referral protocols. Because of COVID-19, our work is doubled, unlike in 2019 when we could cater to walk-ins,” he added.

As of August 13, the CHO reported 649 dengue cases, with 600 recoveries. This represents a 13.7 percent increase from the 366 cases recorded on August 3.

Dengue-related deaths have also risen to two, with the most recent being a 4-year-old boy from South Fundidor, Molo, who passed away on August 4.

The CHO reported that 40 of the city’s 180 barangays have clusters of dengue cases.

So-oc has the highest number of cases with 28, followed by San Jose in Arevalo with 20, Sambag and Calaparan with 18 each, and Santa Filomena with 15.