ILOCOS NORTE KEEPS ‘ZERO DENGUE DEATHS’ RECORD IN JUNE

July 5, 2025 Provincial

LAOAG CITY

The Ilocos Norte Provincial Health Office (PHO) on Tuesday reiterated its call for proactive measures against dengue in communities to maintain the province’s zero-deaths record
from the mosquito-borne disease. “To all our constituents, let us work together to prevent the spread of dengue in our province,” Dr. Rickson Balalio, provincial health officer, said in an interview. Balalio said the best way to prevent dengue is through cleanliness and by avoiding mosquito bites especially in daytime. Based on the latest report of the Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, there were 18 new dengue cases recorded from June 22 to 28 this year.

Meanwhile, from Jan. 1 to June 28, there were a total of 272 dengue cases recorded in the province, most of them in Batac City (58), Laoag City (42) and Pinili town (20). The province’s second district recorded the higher number of dengue cases at 160 compared to the first district’s 112. In previous years, the Ilocos Region was among those closely monitored by the DOH for exceeding the dengue alert threshold, although it clarified that the alleged outbreak was confined to specific villages and not the entire province. As part of the information dissemination campaign, the DOH stresses its 5-S strategy: “Search and destroy” mosquito-breeding sites, employ “Self-protection measures”, “Seek early consultation”, “Support fogging/spraying” only in hotspot areas where the increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent an impending outbreak, and “Sustain hydration.” Since the start of classes, schools in the province have been alerted against dengue especially during the rainy season.

(LA/PNA)