Data released by the Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas showed that as of May 21, the province had the most number of new cases in the entire Western Visayas, followed by Antique with 84 and Iloilo with 39.
The number of cases in the province is 282 percent higher compared to the same period last year, although the DOH did not provide the data as to the actual number of cases.
The province’s capital city of Bacolod also had 12 new cases, bringing the total number of dengue patients in the locality to 139 with four deaths, the regional line agency reported.
It added that dengue cases in the entire region already reached 1,693 with 20 death, or an increase of 110 percent, compared to the same period last year with only 808 cases
Meanwhile, the DOH noted that 39 percent of the dengue patients are between the ages one to 10 years old.
Earlier, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) expressed alarm after the cases have reached the alert level mark with 500 confirmed dengue cases.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ernell Tumimbang warned that the province still has a long way to go as it is still in the first quarter of the year.
Despite the increase in dengue cases, Tumimbang said the PHO is not yet recommending to the City and Municipal Health Offices in the province to conduct fogging.