This was what Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said yesterday, July 18, dismissing the idea of placing the entire province under state of calamity due to the increasing dengue cases.
Lacson made the decision after meeting with Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ernell Tumimbang regarding the matter.
Declaring the province under a state of calamity is for the purpose of accessing funds, which he said is currently not yet necessary since the Provincial Health office (PHO) still has a P3 million budget to combat the disease.
The PHO stressed that the cases of the mosquito-borne disease in the province cannot be considered endemic.
The governor said that the province will still take the lead in the campaign against dengue and will make more noise in the local government units (LGUs), especially in those areas with high cases.
Negros Occidental is number one in Western Visayas in terms of having the most number dengue cases, the Department of Health (DOH) in the region reported.
Data from the regional line agency showed the province also has the highest number of newly reported dengue cases, at 185.
It has a total of 1,869 cases from January 1 to July 2, 2022, which is 777 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Lacson said aside from the PHO’s budget for dengue, every locality also has their own funds.
Meanwhile, a team was formed to clean up several areas and promote the use of larvicides and fogging against the dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
Representatives from DOH-Western Visayas were in the province last week.
They emphasized more on reminding the public about cleaning the surroundings.*