Don't be complacent vs dengue fever, DOH warns

MANILA, Philippines - The downward trend in dengue cases should not lead the public into complacency, especially since more typhoons are still expected to hit the country this year, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said.

“We cannot ascertain for sure if this downward trend will continue because we can never predict our weather. Even during summer, we can experience dengue outbreaks,” said Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, DOH manager for the Dengue Control and Prevention Program.

He asked the public to continue eliminating all possible breeding sites of mosquitoes to prevent the spread of dengue. 

“We should not ignore the vacant lots in our community because they could be the source of dengue outbreaks. If we clean our yards, make sure that you include the vacant lots near you,” he added.

DOH records show that from Jan. 1 to Aug. 25 this year, there were 87,649 dengue cases nationwide or 12.06 percent higher than the 78,218 cases during the same period last year. For the entire 2011, there were a total of 118,868 cases.

Majority of the cases came from Metro Manila with 20.1 percent, followed by Central Luzon with 15.42 percent, and Calabarzon with 14.69 percent. 

“Ages of cases ranged from less than one month to 94 years old. Majority of cases were males (52.7 percent). Fifty percent of the cases belonged to the one to 10 years age group. There were 522 deaths reported,” the DOH records show.

In Metro Manila, 5,545 of the dengue cases came from Quezon City; Manila, 2,790; Caloocan City, 1,987; Parañaque City, 1,114; Pasig City, 1,041; and Valenzuela City, 1,018.

Dengue is caused by the mosquito species Aedes aegypti which bites during the day. The species is characterized by white stripes on the legs.

And since Aedes are low-flying mosquitoes, the victims are commonly children.