Report: Dengue claims 6 lives in Iloilo

At least six people in Iloilo have succumbed to dengue so far this year, provincial health authorities said. The Iloilo Provincial Health Office's Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit also noted a whopping 178-percent rise in cases from Jan. 1 to May 11, the Daily Guardian reported. It noted three fatalities from Cabatuan town, and one fatality each from Banate, Estancia, and New Lucena towns. Provincial health officials recorded 849 cases, including 106 new cases for the 19th morbidity week. The cases prompted assistant provincial health officer Dr. Ma. Socorro Quiñon to remind residents to practice good hygiene. Cabatuan and Banate towns had 67 reported cases each, while Janiuay had 75 cases but had no fatalities. Other towns with a high number of dengue cases included:

Rainy season approaching Quiñon also voiced growing concern about the possibility of more cases as the rainy season draws closer. She reminded residents to keep their surroundings clean and dry, to prevent dengue-carrying mosquitoes from breeding. On the other hand, she reminded residents in Iloilo had been placed under a state of calamity in 2010 after dengue affected 6,500 persons and claimed 32 lives. — LBG, GMA News