DOH sees significant decline in dengue cases
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health reported Friday that the number of dengue cases and deaths in the Philippines has significantly decreased this year.
From January 1 to August 15, there were 59,675 reported cases of the mosquito-borne disease—a 76% drop from the cases recorded in the same period last year.
For the whole of 2019, the country has 430,282 reported dengue cases. The DOH declared dengue epidemic in August last year.
“If we’re going to review the past record, once rainy season starts in July until November, we expect that the cases will increase. But the number of cases is slowly decreasing. The trend is going down,” Dr. Noni Evangelista, program manager of the DOH’s National Aedes-borne Viral Diseases Prevention and Control Program said in a media briefing.
Evangelista said that all regions in the country are still below the thresholds of dengue alert and epidemic.
The DOH also said there was a decline the number of dengue-related deaths, with the country so far reporting 231 fatalities. There were 1,612 recorded deaths for the whole of 2019.
Asked if the sharp decrease was due to stay at home measures brought by the coronavirus crisis, Evangelista said this was mainly a result of strengthened surveillance, case management and diagnosis, outbreak response, research and integrated vector management.
She added the decline can be also attributed to the increase of health awareness among Filipinos.
“Mas narealize natin na health is wealth,” Evangelista said.
The Philippines has so far reported 232,072 cases of coronavirus disease—the highest in Southeast Asia. Of the figure, 3,737 have died. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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