Bacolod declares state of imminent calamity due to dengue

Two recent deaths and a rise in the number of dengue cases prompted the Bacolod City government to declare a state of imminent calamity. A report on the Visayan Daily Star said the Bacolod City council unanimously passed the resolution for the state of imminent calamity last week. Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia moved to pass the resolution after the City Health Office reported 574 dengue cases and at least eight deaths in the city so far this year. Councilor Dindo Ramos said Bacolod is being placed under imminent danger of calamity to avert a possible outbreak of the disease. He said that the declaration would give the local government flexibility to use the allocation for calamities. “But this is a special case, an urgent matter and therefore, it also needs special and urgent funding," he added. City Health Office statistician Warlito Valiente said the latest fatalities include an 11-year-old boy from Purok Masinadyahon in Bata village, and a 10-year-old girl from Sincang-Airport village. Also, City Health Office records showed 499 confirmed cases of dengue from January 1 to July 18, compared to 678 and 237 in the same periods in 2007 and 2008 respectively. There were seven deaths in 2007 and two in 2008, also in the same period. Bacolod City Health Officer Dr. Salome Biñas noted high incidence of dengue in densely populated villages such as Estefania, Villamonte, Mansilingan, Taculing, Mandalagan, Banago, Tangub, Alijis and Bata. She said the number of cases continued to rise despite their intensified education campaign and application of larvaecidal chemicals to stagnant water in all the villages. Meanwhile, Leonardia said they will conduct a massive dengue prevention campaign. Western Visayas has been noted for rising dengue cases. From January to July this year, 24 people have been reported killed in the province by the mosquito-borne disease.