During yesterday’s League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Iloilo meeting, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, Jr. announced he would soon be issuing an executive order declaring a dengue outbreak in the province.
“We have to declare an outbreak because we want to recognize that there is a problem,” he explained. “Based on historical data, the [number of] cases is high.”
Once issued, the order will be forwarded to the Iloilo Provincial Board next week.
According to data gathered by the Iloilo Provincial Health Office from January 1 to June 28, there were a total of 3,897 dengue-related cases recorded; a 788 percent increase from the 439 recorded during the same period last year.
In addition, as of 9:00 a.m. yesterday, there were a total of 560 patients admitted to various district hospitals for dengue-related illnesses.
Upon declaration of an outbreak, the province can make emergency purchases of IV fluids, medicines, and dengue kits.
The governor pointed out, he has already identified a source of funding for such procurements.
Meanwhile, data from the Department of Health-Region VI gathered between January 1 and June 1 showed the region is currently experiencing a 198 percent increase in recorded cases of dengue fever. The department reported 8,613 cases, with 48 deaths, this year; a staggering increase from the 2,886 cases and 23 deaths recorded during the same period in 2018./WDJ