BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City – A barangay in the town of Igbaras, Iloilo declared a state of calamity due to chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease similar to dengue.
There were 210 suspected cases in Barangay Jovellar, said Mayor Vicente Escorpion of Igbaras.
Out of 420 total households in Barangay Jovellar, 96 households reported family members exhibiting symptoms of chikungunya – fever, rashes and joint pain.
The 96 households had roughly 210 individuals, said Escorpion.
“The barangay resolution was already submitted to the Sangguniang Bayan for approval,” said Escorpion.
The barangay council of Jovellar may then be able to use its calamity fund to address chikungunya.
Chikungunya shares some clinical signs with dengue, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Jovellar is the only village in Igbaras with suspected cases of chikungunya, said Escorpion.
The Provincial Health Office (PHO) already submitted blood samples of suspected patients to the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine.
Dr. Ma. Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon of the PHO said results may be known in two weeks.
Escorpion alerted other barangays of Igbaras. Chikungunya is a mosquito-bornes disease like dengue and could spread, he said.
The mayor ordered a massive cleanup drive in barangays to get rid of the breeding places of mosquitoes.
Aside from Igbaras, four other municipalities in Iloilo have suspected cases of chikungunya. The PHO identified these as Carles, Tigbauan and Oton.
Carles has 102 suspected cases; Tigbauan, 43; and Oton, 20.
According to the WHO website, most chikungunya patients recover fully, but in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years.
Chikungunya is rarely fatal. Symptoms are generally self-limiting and last for two to three days.
Occasional cases of eye, neurological and heart complications have been reported, as well as gastrointestinal complaints.
Serious complications are not common, but in older people, the disease can contribute to the cause of death, said WHO./PN
