LAOAG CITY – The rising number of dengue victims in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, has prompted local officials to declare a state of calamity in the city.

Since the start of the year, the illness has downed 216 people and claimed 4 lives, Laoag officials said.

The outbreak is the worst in the city’s history. The number of victims is also the highest in the Ilocos region, according to government data.

The Ilocos Norte Health Office said 346 people in the province have fallen ill from dengue this year. Ten of them have died.

Laoag City Vice-Mayor Eddie Domingo said the state of calamity declaration will allow the local government to use a 5% calamity fund from the city’s annual budget to buy medicines and equipment needed to combat the disease.

He expressed fears that the number of dengue patients may rise amid the rainy season.

Domingo urged city residents to help in the fight against the disease by cleaning their communities.

Laoag City is the second area in Ilocos Norte to declare a state of calamity, after Dingras town. – with reports from radio dzMM and Mark Magdirila, ABS-CBN News Ilocos