Ormoc City in calamity state due to dengue outbreak
TACLOBAN CITY – Ormoc City in Leyte was placed under a state of calamity on Thursday due to a sharp rise of dengue cases since the start of the year.
The city council, in a special session, made the declaration in the wake of 444 dengue cases recorded in the city from Jan.1 to Aug. 3, with 19 out of its 85 barangays reporting cases of the mosquito-borne disease.
The number was 225 percent higher compared to the same period last year, according to city health authorities
The state of calamity declaration, which was based on the recommendation of the City Health Board chaired by Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, allowed the city government to access its calamity fund to procure needed medicines and supplies to address the surge in dengue cases.
13 deaths
Dr. Sarah Hermoso, city health officer, said about 20 percent of Ormoc’s population is now affected by dengue. Based on the 2020 census, the city has a population of The city has a population more than 230,998.
For the entire Eastern Visayas region, the Department of Health (DOH) recorded 5,730 dengue cases over the past seven months, a significant increase from last year’s 2,273 cases. Leyte led the list with 2,408 cases, followed by Samar (1,626), Southern Leyte (785), Eastern Samar (542), Northern Samar (283), and Biliran (86).
The DOH also reported 13 deaths in the region from Jan. 1 to Aug. 3, or higher than the seven deaths in 2023. The fatalities were recorded in Samar (8), Leyte (2), Eastern Samar (2), and Northern Samar (1).
In Southern Leyte, all 19 villages have reported dengue cases, with Maasin City posting the highest number with 346, followed by the town of Macrohon (205). Most of the patients were minors aged 5 to 14.
While all areas in Southern Leyte have reported dengue cases, there has been no declared outbreak, stressed Jelyn Malibago, DOH regional information office
Dengue fever, an infection caused by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, triggers a severe flu-like illness often followed by a severe drop in an infected person’s platelet count.
