DOH: Rise in dengue cases manageable

MANILA, Philippines — Dengue cases in the country remain ”manageable” despite an increase in some parts of the country in the past several weeks, according to the Department of Health.

DOH Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said 22,277 dengue cases were recorded from January to April, an increase of 15 percent compared to the same period last year.

“Cases are still manageable, but our monitoring continues,” she said.

Cabotaje said most of the cases are in Central Luzon with 2,858  followed by Central Visayas, 2,905 and Metro Manila, 2,339.

She said 126 deaths or a case fatality rate of 0.6 percent were also recorded.

In August 2019, the DOH declared a national dengue epidemic after the number of cases from January to July reached around 150,000 with 622 deaths.

DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III yesterday called on local government officials and barangay leaders to lead the elimination of all possible breeding sites of mosquitoes, especially in areas where an increase in cases was recorded.

He said any item that can collect rainwater and where mosquito larva can thrive should be cleaned or disposed of.

Duque said Centers for Health Development in various regions are coordinating with local government units for the strict implementation of the 4S strategy against dengue.

“Dengue or the WILD diseases usually increase during rainy days. Thankfully, the national trend is still lower compared to last year,” he said.

WILD stands for water and food-borne illnesses, influenza, leptospirosis and dengue.

Duque said water and food-borne diseases, such as cholera, typhoid fever and infectious diarrhea, could be prevented through proper preparation of food and boiling of drinking water.