Southern Leyte under state of calamity due to dengue

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — A state of calamity has been declared in Southern Leyte as the number of dengue cases surpassed the epidemic threshold.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved the declaration on Friday under Resolution 630.

The resolution allows Southern Leyte Gov. Damian Mercado to use the quick response fund of the provincial government to address a surge in the number of dengue cases and procure the needed equipment and medicine.

The provincial health office said the 428 cases recorded as of July 30 is more than double than the figures during the same period last year.

Southern Leyte is the fourth province in Eastern Visayas that declared a state of calamity due to dengue.

The provincial boards of Leyte, Eastern Samar and Samar had earlier passed resolutions that placed the towns under a state of calamity.

The Department of Health (DOH) regional office said 10,557 dengue cases with 32 deaths were recorded in Eastern Visayas as of last month.

DOH regional director Minerva Molon sought the creation of local dengue task forces from provincial to municipal levels.

During his visit to this city last week, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III gave assurance that the DOH has enough budget to address dengue cases across the country.