ILOILO CITY — The Iloilo provincial government is preparing to declare a dengue outbreak due to the surge in cases that have breached both the epidemic and alert thresholds.

The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) reported that the province recorded 661 new dengue cases, bringing the total to 3,608 with six fatalities as of August 3.

"We planned that the province of Iloilo will declare an outbreak," said Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quinõn, head of the IPHO.

"We need a report that will be submitted to the Department of Health to declare a provincewide outbreak," the IPHO head added.

On Friday, August 9, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. convened an emergency meeting with the Civil Defense Cluster, Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices and Municipal Health Offices to address the worsening dengue situation.

Colmenares-Quiñon said the uptrend in dengue cases is not just a health concern and thus "needs a whole-of-society-approach because the level of our cases needs an urgent response."

According to the IPHO, 36 of the 43 towns of the province already surpassed the alert and epidemic threshold.

The alert threshold signals an early warning for an epidemic, while the epidemic threshold indicates a level of disease occurrence that necessitates a response.

Passi City had the highest number of cases -- 327 as of August 8.

"The cases in the City of Passi are glaring, with the most affected barangay —16 in total—experiencing clustering of cases, followed by Dumangas with 11 barangay, and Dingle with 9 barangay showing clusters of cases," Colmenares-Quiñon said.

The IPHO noted that the number of barangay with clustered cases has risen to 190, compared to 142 during the same period last year.

With the province now under a dengue outbreak, the provincial government is prioritizing the development and implementation of strategies to curb the spread of the disease and provide essential medical support to those affected.