LGU declares state of calamity
TACLOBAN CITY- The island town of Maripipi in Biliran province is under state of calamity due to the outbreak of chikungunya which has affected 79 people.
This was disclosed by Dr. Gabino Velazquez, health officer designate of the municipality in a phone interview.
Velasquez said that the record of chikungunya cases of Maripipi, the farthest town of Biliran province, was first monitored last April with only three cases and kept on increasing for the past months since.
Since April and up to Monday (July 30), they have confirmed 88 cases of chikungunya, Velasquez said.
But the health officer said that the 79 confirmed cases of chikungunya could be higher as they received information that many afflicted of the ailment did not went to their health station for treatment.
“That is why we are appealing to them to visit our health center,” Velasquez said.
According to him, of the 15 barangays of the town, the villages of Bato, Banlas, Binalayan, Ermita, Binongto-an, and Danao comprises the big number of chikungunya cases.
On Monday, upon the recommendation of Mayor Uldarico Macorol, its town council, declared a state of calamity due to the outbreak of chikungunya in the town.
The declaration would pave the way for the municipal government to procure needed medicines to address the chikungunya scare hitting the town.
The last time Maripipi had cases of chikungunya were in 2016 which affected the villages of Agutay and Danao. The two areas had 71 cases of chikungunya, in all.
All the victims showed signs and symptoms of being afflicted of chikungunya, namely, fever that lasts for a week; body rashes and joint pains, considered as the most debilitating which could even last even for a year, Velasquez said.
Just like dengue fever, chikungunya could be obtained through an infected mosquito bite.
Velasquez said that to address the chikungunya cases in the town, they ask the public to observe cleanliness of their environment particularly in destroying the breeding places of infected cases.
“We are also conducting fogging operations (in affected villages),” he said. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
