MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) assured the public that there were no “mutant strains” of the dengue virus in the country, which supposedly caused the number of cases of the mosquito-borne disease to spike this year.
In a statement, the DOH maintained that there were only four strains of the dengue virus and that “no mutant strains” were reported or monitored in the country.
“The issue on the new strain of dengue virus circulated as a result of a misquoted DOH official. Neither the DOH official nor the secretary of health mentioned a new strain of dengue virus,” the DOH said.
Of the four strains of dengue, which is transmitted to humans by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, dengue 3 is the predominant strain this year. —Jovic Yee