Facade of the Department of Health office in Manila. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA – The number of dengue cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) increased by 34.47 percent from Jan. 1 to Oct. 26 compared to the same period last year.
Latest data from Department of Health – Metro Manila Center for Health Development (DOH-MMCHD) showed 24,232 dengue cases for the first 10 months of the year.
Quezon City logged the highest number of cases at 6,208 or 26 percent of the overall tally.
About 6,483 or 26.75 percent of the cases belong to the 5-9 age range.
There are also 66 dengue-relaterd deaths in the NCR.
READ: DOH reports 82% rise in dengue cases from January to October
MMCHD Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit medical technologist Mary Grace Labayen said an alert threshold or first warning is issued when an illness spreads in an area.
“Kapag naabot ang alert threshold, kailangan nang magpatupad ng mga hakbang para di kumalat ang mga sakit (Health strategies must be implemented when the alert threshold is reached),” she said at a media forum on Tuesday.
MMCHD Director Dr. Rio Magpantay said most areas in the NCR that showed rise in cases were dense areas.
He noted that the DOH focuses on the cleaning of breeding areas where informal settlers reside.
“Meron pa silang ibang gawain sa kanilang pamumuhay roon at baka lang nakakalimutan nilang hanapin ang iba pang pinamumugaran (They have other daily tasks and so they forget to clean the breeding sites),” he said.
Assistance and information drive from the local government units and other partners are needed, he added.
While the number of leptospirosis is also increasing, the NCR has not reached the alert threshold.
From Jan. 1 to Oct. 26, the NCR recorded 2,734 cases with 216 deaths.
The figure was 90.92 percent higher compared to the same period last year.
About 24.32 percent or 655 of the total number of cases were recorded in Quezon City.
Majority of the cases were male, with 300 or 10.97 percent belonging to the 55-59 age group.