EIGHT lives lost. A staggering 535 dengue infections. A 361-percent surge in cases. Yet despite repeated government interventions, Estancia, Iloilo remains the province’s worst dengue hotspot.
How many more lives must be lost before everyone takes dengue prevention seriously?
The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) blames poor household sanitation, improper garbage disposal, and residents’ failure to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds. Health workers repeatedly return to communities only to encounter the same conditions that allow dengue-carrying mosquitoes to multiply.
As reported by this paper, neighboring Carles is hardly better, with 435 infections and five deaths. Together, these two municipalities account for 970 cases and 13 fatalities — nearly 19 percent of Iloilo Province’s dengue infections but a staggering 59 percent of its deaths. These figures represent preventable suffering and a breakdown in collective responsibility.
Government cannot escape accountability. Local authorities must ensure efficient garbage collection, enforce sanitation ordinances, and sustain aggressive dengue prevention campaigns. But residents cannot conveniently leave everything to government. Barangay health workers cannot clean every backyard, empty every water-filled container, or compensate for household neglect.
Indeed, mosquito spraying alone is no solution. Killing adult mosquitoes while allowing breeding grounds to flourish is like mopping the floor while leaving the faucet running.
Yet blaming residents exclusively would be equally irresponsible. Persistent sanitation problems may also expose inadequate waste collection, weak enforcement, and ineffective barangay leadership. When dengue interventions repeatedly fail, authorities must examine not only public behavior but also the effectiveness of their own programs.
Without a doubt, Estancia must go beyond ceremonial cleanup drives, recycled warnings, and impressive photographs of government activities. It needs sustained household inspections, reliable garbage collection, strict sanitation enforcement, and measurable reductions in mosquito breeding sites.
The provincewide four-percent decline in dengue cases offers little consolation to families mourning their dead. Eight deaths in Estancia alone are eight too many.
Dengue thrives when government becomes complacent and residents become indifferent. Neither side can afford to abandon its responsibility while mosquitoes continue claiming lives.
Enough of the excuses. And Estancia does not need another reminder that dengue kills; it needs decisive leadership, disciplined communities, and a collective determination to stop giving mosquitoes places to breed.
Because when responsibility dies, dengue thrives — and innocent lives pay the price.
