Negros dengue deaths up amid fewer cases

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines —  Dengue-related deaths in Negros Island Region (NIR) increased this year even as the number of cases has decreased.

Data from the Department of Health (DOH)-NIR showed 27 fatalities due to dengue, which is higher than the 19 deaths reported in 2025.

DOH-NIR assistant director Adrian Hort said there were 4,972 cases reported across the region from Jan. 1 to Sept. 19, which he said is 33 percent lower than the 7,451 infections recorded during the same period in 2025.

Of the fatalities, 16 were recorded in Negros Occidental, six in Negros Oriental and five in Bacolod City. No dengue-related death was reported in Siquijor.

Hort said the increase in the number of fatalities could be partly due to late admission of patients to hospitals.

Some cases were initially dismissed as ordinary flu, with patients seeking medical attention only when their condition worsened, Hort pointed out.

He said early detection could prevent patients from reaching the hemorrhagic stage before being referred to hospitals.

DOH-NIR data showed school-age children remain the most affected by the mosquito-borne disease.