ILOILO – Repeated government interventions have failed to contain the spread of dengue in Estancia town, where infections have skyrocketed by 361 percent and eight people have died.
Provincial health authorities blame persistent household sanitation problems and residents’ failure to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds.
The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) reported 535 dengue cases in Estancia from January to October 2026, compared with only 116 during the same period last year, making the northern Iloilo municipality the province’s leading dengue hotspot.
IPHO head Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon said the increase persisted despite repeated prevention campaigns and interventions jointly undertaken by the provincial health office, Municipal Health Office (MHO) and Estancia local government.
She lamented that repeated visits by health personnel revealed little improvement in household practices, particularly in garbage disposal and the elimination of stagnant water where dengue-carrying mosquitoes breed.
“Makita man naton gihapon nga ang solid waste management indi manami. Sorry to say pero dira na da. Kon indi maayo ang aton nga paghaboy sang aton basura, indi nami ang pag-manage sang aton solid waste, these become breeding sites sang lamok, kapin pa sige ang inulin,” Quiñon explained.
The situation has also become worrisome in neighboring Carles, which registered 435 dengue cases and five deaths, placing it second among Iloilo’s most affected municipalities.
Combined, Estancia and Carles accounted for 970 infections and 13 fatalities — representing nearly 19 percent of the province’s dengue cases but a staggering 59 percent of its dengue deaths.
Quiñon stressed that the continuing outbreaks exposed the limitations of government-led dengue prevention efforts without sustained cooperation from residents.
She explained that mosquito spraying alone cannot stop dengue transmission because it kills primarily adult mosquitoes while leaving breeding sites intact.
Unless households regularly remove stagnant water, properly dispose of garbage and destroy mosquito breeding grounds, dengue infections could continue despite government interventions.
Quiñon urged residents, particularly those in Estancia, to actively participate in the barangay-led Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue campaign rather than depend entirely on barangay health workers to maintain cleanliness.
Across Iloilo Province, dengue infections reached 5,151 with 22 deaths from January to October, slightly below the 5,373 cases and 24 fatalities recorded during the same period in 2025.
The provincewide decline of four percent, however, contrasts sharply with Estancia’s 361-percent increase, highlighting the uneven effectiveness of dengue prevention efforts among localities.
Other municipalities with high dengue caseloads included Calinog with 310; Dumangas, 259; Cabatuan and Passi City, 256 each; Ajuy, 195 with two deaths; Balasan, 184; and Concepcion and Lambunao, 167 each./PN
