The Department of Health (DOH) Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit said that 26 deaths due to dengue virus has been recorded in Western Visayas this year as of July 18.

Health officials said Iloilo city topped the list with the most number of incidences of dengue cases with 517 and 16 deaths. This was followed by Iloilo province, with 388 cases and 6 deaths.

The most recent of the fatalities were two minors in Barangay Baybay in San Joaquin town.

Health officials in the region said the total number of cases in Western Visayas has reached 1,675. They said that the figure is 26 percent higher compared to last year in the comparable period.

With the increase in the number of dengue cases in the region, regional officials of DOH appealed to the public to continue cleaning their surroundings to avoid being infected with dengue virus.