The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) is urging the public to allot even just 20 minutes of their time in a week to search and destroy breeding places of dengue-carrying mosquitoes amid a hike in recorded cases.
In an interview on Friday, IPHO head Dr. Maria Socorro Quiñon said for this year, the province has reported 207 cases with six deaths since January up to May 14, an increase of 39.9 percent when compared with the 148 cases with one death for the same period in 2021.
“I hope that it won’t be similar to 2019 when we have recorded around 22,000 cases with 70 deaths,” Quiñon
said.
Nonetheless, she said the “Limpyo (clean) ECQ (enhanced community quarantine)” of the province has been of great help as people take time to clean their surroundings.
“Not only are we addressing Covid-19 but also we are addressing dengue,” the provincial health officer added.
She urged the people to always practice the "4S" strategy: the search and destroy the breeding places, seek early consultation, observe self-protection measures, and say "yes" to fogging when necessary.
“Our hospitals are capacitated. They can address, cater to and can manage our dengue or Covid-19 cases,” she added as she urged patients not to be afraid to seek medical intervention.
The deaths came from municipalities of Guimbal with two and one each from towns of Miagao, Leganes, Passi City, and Igbaras.
There were also clustering of cases monitored in one barangay each in Ajuy and Tubungan, and three barangays in San Joaquin, the town that happened to also have the highest cases among municipalities in Iloilo.
Source: Philippines News Agency
