(INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has so far recorded a total of 73,909 cases of dengue in the country since January, officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said Monday.
Vergeire said 18,699 of the cases were logged from June 12 to July 9.
The regions with the most number of dengue cases are Central Luzon (Region 3), Cagayan Valley (Region 2) and Metro Manila.
“Sa ngayon, patuloy ang ating kampanya laban sa dengue kung saan nagmomobilize tayo ng ating mga local government unit para gawin ‘yung 4S strategy,” Vergeire said in an interview over ABS CBN’s TeleRadyo.
(We are currently continuing our campaign against dengue wherein we mobilize our LGUs to carry out the 4S Strategy.)
According to the DOH, the 4S stands for:
-“Search and destroy” mosquito-breeding sites
-employ “Self-protection measures” (i.e. wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts, and daily use of mosquito repellent)
-“Seek early consultation”
-“Support fogging/spraying” only in hotspot areas where an increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent an impending outbreak.
The DOH earlier said that the rising number of dengue infections in the country is “alarming,” and urged the public to be vigilant against the disease and monitor the number of cases.