Oton Tagged for Dengue Clusters, Home Breeding Sites

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) has flagged the town of Oton as an area of concern due to dengue case clustering and the persistence of mosquito breeding sites in residential areas.

IPHO head Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon said Oton recorded 173 dengue cases, including one death, as of July 5.

The town ranks second in dengue cases in the province, following San Joaquin, which logged 190 cases.

“If we look at the clustering of cases, we are really concerned with Oton,” Colmenares-Quiñon said, noting that 13 new cases were reported in just one week.

She said Barangay Batuan Ilaud has recorded 16 cases, with a continuing increase despite active health interventions.

“Despite the interventions of our IPHO and municipal health office in conducting an entomological survey and spraying, the number of cases in this barangay continues to rise,” she said.

An entomological survey found mosquito larvae in stagnant water inside storage containers, plant pot trays and discarded tires at several households in Batuan Ilaud.

Colmenares-Quiñon urged barangay officials and residents to take the lead in identifying and eliminating mosquito breeding grounds.

“I call on our barangays to help us in preventing the spread of dengue,” she said.

“Our community should lead in the search and destroy efforts for breeding places.”

The Department of Health said even small amounts of stagnant water—as little as 40 milliliters or the size of a 20-centavo coin—can serve as mosquito breeding grounds.

Regularly draining, cleaning and covering water containers each week is critical to stopping mosquito larvae development.

As of July 5, Iloilo province had recorded 2,670 dengue cases and 10 deaths, according to IPHO data.

This marks a 37.7 percent increase compared to the 1,941 cases and five deaths reported during the same period last year.

Aside from Oton, dengue-related deaths were recorded in Pototan and Carles with two each, and in Lambunao, Sara, Tigbauan, Balasan and Dueñas with one each.