Weekly cleanup to get rid of dengue vectors pushed
I LOILO – The I l o i l o 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 denguecarrying mosquitoes amid a hike in recorded cases.
I PHO head Dr. Maria Socorro Quiñon said for this year, the province already recorded 207 cases with six deaths (January 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 recorded 22,000 cases with 70 deaths,” Quiñon said.
Nonetheless, she said, the “Limpyo 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 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); we also address dengue,” the provincial health officer said.
Quiñon 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.
“O u r h o s p i t a l s a r e 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 i n San Joaquin, the town that happened to also have the highest cases among municipalities in Iloilo.