The partylist Akbayan will devote a day going around various communities all over the country to help in the campaign against the deadly dengue virus.

Dubbed as ?Akbayan?s national day of vigilance and action against dengue,? members and volunteers of the group will simultaneously troop to different communities in Metro Manila and in several provinces on September 8 to inform people how to prevent dengue and treat mild cases.

The target areas for the activity include Metro Manila, Bicol, Quezon, Cebu, Davao and Zamboanga, according to the group?s spokesperson, Risa Hontiveros.

?For Akbayan, the public?s safety and health are paramount issues that different social movements and advocates must safeguard and actively promote,? Hontiveros said in a statement.

Hontiveros commended the Department of Health (DOH) for its initiatives to contain the virus, adding that she hopes other government agencies would help in the fight against the deadly virus.

According to the DOH, the 62,503 cases recorded from January to August 21 is 88 percent higher than last year's 33,102 for the same period. However, the department explained that the higher figure may be the result of the government's improved capability to monitor cases.

The health department said 465 deaths were recorded so far this year compared to the 350 deaths recorded in 2009 over the same period.

The department also said that the most affected region is Western Visayas, with 16.1 percent of dengue cases coming from the region. Outbreaks have also been detected in Roxas City in Capiz, Iloilo City and in Zamboanga City. In the National Capital Region, most of the cases were reported from Quezon City.

Dengue fever is endemic in most tropical countries and transmitted by Aedes mosquito, a kind of mosquito which feeds during daytime, making it second to malaria among mosquito-borne diseases.