Negros Occidental provincial health officer, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, yesterday announced a “State of Calamity” will not be declared in the province in relation to dengue fever, affirming, “There is no dengue outbreak in the entire province.”
He also clarified, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council declaring a national dengue epidemic is not indicative of a nationwide “State of Calamity.”
In response to Murcia and Kabankalan City both declaring dengue outbreaks, along with three other local government units being recommended to make similar announcements, Tumimbang said, “The declaration of an outbreak is still the prerogative of the local government unit.”
The provincial official said their latest data showed 26 have died in the province due to dengue with more than 4,000 cases reported between January and July this year, which constitutes a rise of around 46 percent as compared to last year.
Meanwhile, Tumimbang said the Provincial Health Board will discuss the dengue situation in the province during an August 15 meeting./DGB, WDJ