TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines — Local officials of Sabtang, one of the island towns of Batanes, have declared a state of calamity after 63 dengue cases were recorded in the town in a span of two weeks.

Mayor Maxilindo Babalo said Thursday that he made the pronouncement to create access for their calamity funds for use in fogging operations to rid the area of dengue-carrying mosquitoes, and for buying additional medicines for dengue patients.

The Department of Health (DoH) reported that the 63 dengue victims were mostly children and treated at the Batanes General Hospital.

Babalo called on the public to cooperate in helping contain the dengue-carrying mosquitoes on the island as he claimed that the town’s calamity fund was not sufficient for the massive fogging operations.

“There is shortage of insecticide for the fogging operations that is why the local government is seeking support for anti-dengue fever supplies,” he said in a press statement.

He admitted that fogging facilities and materials are expensive in which their calamity fund is not enough for the provision of the needed supplies to eliminate the dengue causing mosquitoes.