Dengue infections drop by 31% in 1st 9 months

MANILA, Philippines — The country saw a 31-percent slump in dengue infections in the first nine months of the year, but chikungunya, another viral disease that comes from the same mosquito breed, surged by 380 percent, latest data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed.

Based on the epidemic-prone disease case surveillance of the DOH, there were 144,464 individuals who got infected with dengue from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 this year compared to the 210,648 cases during the same period last year.

However, chikungunya, another vector-borne illness spread by Aedes aegypti, soared to 2,533 cases recorded as of Sept. 30, a huge jump from the 528 cases recorded in the same period in 2022.

—KATHLEEN VILLA