State of calamity declared in Taytay, Palawan due to rising dengue cases

The province of Taytay, Palawan was placed under a state of calamity due to the rising number of dengue cases, according to GTV's Balitanghali report on Thursday.

Eighteen individuals in the province have already died from the 1,287 cases recorded from January to July, based on the Department of Health's data. 

Currently, only one of the 31 barangays has no case of dengue.

Taytay, Palawan Mayor Christian V. Rodriguez said in a super radyo dzBB interview that they were surprised by the rise of dengue cases as this has not been an problem in previous years.

He said the province's calamity fund will be used to help the affected residents.

In the first half of 2023, there were 72,333 dengue cases recorded in the Philippines, which is already higher than the 2022 numbers, which stood at 63,526.

Most cases were recorded in Metro Manila, Davao, and Calabarzon.

The local government unit reminded the public to keep the surroundings clean and to use mosquito repellants. They also advised residents to wear long sleeves and pants if possible. —Sherylin Untalan/ VAL, GMA Integrated News