ILOILO – Due to a surge in dengue cases, Badiangan town declared a dengue outbreak.
The municipality has recorded 37 cases, with two deaths. Fifteen of these cases and both deaths occurred in Barangay Odiongan. The deceased were a 15-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man who passed away in May and June, respectively.
After determining that Badiangan met the criteria for declaring an outbreak, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC), passed a resolution recommending such.
“We reviewed our data and saw a sharp spike in dengue incidents. This justified our declaration of a dengue outbreak,” said Mayor Suzette Mamon who is also the MDRRMC chairperson.
She added: “Barangay Odiongan has the highest number of cases. As of yesterday, there were 15 cases and two deaths.”
Dengue is a viral infection spread by mosquitoes, causing severe flu-like symptoms and, in extreme cases, death. Symptoms include a sudden high fever, severe headache, nausea or persistent vomiting, swollen glands, muscle and joint pain, pain behind the eyes, and red spots or patches on the skin.
The sudden increase in dengue cases in Badiangan is being attributed to the El Niño phenomenon and intermittent rainfall in early 2024, leading residents to store water in containers.
Dengue mosquitoes breed in clear, stagnant water.
The high heat index in April and May also created favorable conditions for mosquito breeding. Additionally, the current dengue strain shows only mild fever symptoms, causing some parents to delay seeking medical treatment for their children.
“The current strain is hemorrhagic with very slight fever that subsides,” said Mamon.
To address this, the local government of Badiangan is encouraging parents to take their children to health facilities at the first sign of headache or body pain.
Mamon also ordered an intensified clean-up across Badiangan’s 31 barangays, especially in Barangay Odiongan, by Barangay Health Workers (BHWs), the Municipal Health Office (MHO), and barangay officials.
Efforts include house-to-house clean-up operations, search and destroy campaigns for mosquito breeding sites, and misting activities.
Mamon and the MHO are also evaluating whether Barangay Odiongan qualifies for fogging operations.
On June 5, the MHO and BHWs repeated clean-up and misting activities in the area.
To prevent the spread of dengue to neighboring barangays such as Sianon, Indorohan, Mainguit, and Talaba, the clean-up drive has been strengthened in these areas as well.
“We are extending our preventive measures to adjacent barangays near Barangay Odiongan,” Mamon said.
On June 6, Mamon held an urgent meeting with the MHO and a representative from the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) to discuss a more intensified advocacy campaign.
IPHO head Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon urged the community to join the 4S strategy against dengue: search and destroy mosquito breeding sites, take self-protection measures, seek early treatment, and support fogging or spraying in hotspot areas.
“Please cooperate. Many mosquitoes are now infected with dengue, and your family could be next,” Quiñon emphasized.
She also encouraged everyone in Badiangan, especially in Barangay Odiongan, to wear protective clothing to avoid mosquito bites and to visit health facilities if any signs or symptoms of dengue appear.
From January 1 to June 1 this year, Iloilo province has recorded 1,047 dengue cases with four deaths, a 70% increase compared to the same period last year, which had 616 cases./PN
