This 2006 file photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a female Aedes aegypti mosquito acquiring a human host’s blood meal. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — Fifteen out of 17 regions in the country have already surpassed the epidemic threshold for dengue, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire explained in a media briefing that the number of dengue cases recorded in the 15 regions breached the expected number of infections based on past trends or figures in the previous years during the same period.
“It is worrisome kasi nakikita na sabay-sabay ang mga rehiyon na nagtataas ng kaso. It is worrisome because on top of COVID-19, we are looking at dengue cases also increasing,” said Vergeire.
(It is worrisome because we can see that the regions’ cases are rising at the same time. It is troubling because on top of COVID-19, we are also looking at increasing dengue cases.)
In a separate advisory, the DOH enumerated the regions that have exceeded the dengue epidemic threshold from May 29 to June 25: Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Mimaropa, Calabarzon, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, BARMM, CAR, and Metro Manila.
The DOH said dengue cases in the Ilocos region have yet to reach the threshold, while Caraga had already surpassed it in April but only returned below the limit.
Vergeire likewise said during the briefing that dengue primarily affects children 15 years old and below.
Dengvaxia
When asked whether the DOH is open to lifting the suspension of the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia, Vergeire recalled that its certificate of product of registration had already been permanently revoked due to a lack of evidence on its effectiveness.
“So for us to be able to bring back this kind of vaccine kailangan completed na po ang evidence natin at marami po tayong proseso na kailangan isagawa para magawa natin ito,” she said.
(So for us to be able to bring back this kind of vaccine, evidence needs to be completed and we have many processes that need to be done for us to do this.)
“Ang ating gobyerno kasama ang kagawaran ng kalusugan, always open naman po sa bagong teknolohiya lalong-lalo na kung maipapakita ng ebidensya na it can really protect our population,” she added.
(Our government, together with the health department, is always open to new technology, especially if the evidence shows that it can really protect our population.)
Vergeire then encouraged the public to help prevent the transmission of dengue by making sure their surroundings are clean and that mosquitoes carrying the disease would not be able to establish a nest near their homes.
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