MANILA, Philippines — A police officer died while 77 others have been hospitalized nationwide due to dengue, the director of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Health Service said Thursday.
According to PNP Health Service director Brig. Gen. John Luglug, the fatality was a staff sergeant who died last July in a province in the Western Visayas.
Luglug said 24 of the victims were brought to the PNP General Hospital at Camp Crame, Quezon City from July 1 to August 29. He told INQUIRER.net in a text message that these police officers have already been discharged from the hospital.
Fifty-three police officers, meanwhile, were taken to different hospitals nationwide although the PNP has yet to release information whether or not they were already discharged as of posting time.
In a press briefing at Camp Crame, PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said the PNP conducts regular fumigation in police camps across the country to protect police officers and personnel against dengue.
“Sana hindi na madagdagan ‘yan (I hope there would be no more additional dengue cases),” he said.
Aside from fumigation, Luglug said the PNP also conducted larviciding that targets larvae in breeding habitats of mosquito that might have blossomed inside camps.
Following the rise in the number of dengue cases, the Department of Health declared on August 6 a national dengue epidemic, citing 622 deaths in 146,062 dengue cases from January to July 20 this year. This is 98-percent higher than the number of cases recorded in the same period in 2018, according to health authorities.
READ: DOH declares national dengue epidemic
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