Dengue cases up 25% in Metro Manila – official

Aedes aegypti mosquito, carrier of the dengue virus. FILE PHOTO

The Department of Health (DOH) has recorded a 25 percent rise in dengue cases in Metro Manila, a health official said on Wednesday.

DOH has recorded over 7,200 cases in the Metro since the onset of the rainy season this year, Undersecretary Eric Domingo disclosed in an interview over dzMM on Wednesday.

In the same period in 2017, there were only about 5,800 dengue cases in the region, he said.

“Ang peak season natin ng dengue [ay] nag-uumpisa na dahil syempre pag maraming tubig sa paligid na pinupugaran ng lamok, kung saan sila nanganganak at dumadami,” Domingo explained.

(The peak season of dengue is beginning since there is a lot of water in the environment where mosquitoes nest and propagate.)

According to Domingo, the Ilocos Region and Cagayan Valley likewise saw an increase, with 80 and 66-percent rise respectively as compared to last year’s record for the rainy season.

Other regions including Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, and Northern Mindanao have also recorded spikes in dengue cases, he added.

Domingo, however, assured the public that the health department was prepared to attend to patients’ needs.

“Meron tayong naka-ready [na equipment] dahil nakapaghanda na tayo. Meron tayong mga pang-test na readily available, hindi lang sa hospital hanggang sa health centers meron din,” he said.

(We have equipment because we have already prepared for it. We have tools for testing that are readily available, not just in the hospital but also in centers.)

DOH earlier declared a dengue outbreak in Itbayat, Batanes, where a child diagnosed with the disease died on Friday. /cbb

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