MANILA, Philippines—The health department on Wednesday urged local governments and communities to intensify their clean-up campaigns against dengue.
In a statement, the Department of Health (DoH) maintained that despite the emergence of dengue hotspots in areas in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and the Ilocos Region, the cases nationwide still remain 33.5 percent lower compared to the same period last year.
The department revealed that 45,333 cases of dengue have been reported from January to August 6 this year, compared to 68,168 in 2010. It also compared the 267 deaths reported this year to the 539 recorded in the same time period last year.
Most of the cases this year, according to the DoH, came from NCR (10,487), Central Luzon (7,566), Calabarzon (6,488), Ilocos Region (4,981), and Cagayan Valley (3,079). The department said that most cases monitored in NCR came from Quezon City (3,034), Manila (1,093), Caloocan (1,270), Valenzuela (782) and Pasig (707).
Dengue patients’ ages ranged from as young as less than a month old to 92 years of age, said the DoH. Fifty-three percent of the cases were male while 39.7 percent belonged to the 1-10 years age group.
Despite the number of cases this year being lower than that of last year’s, Health Secretary Enrique Ona still warned the public against being complacent in the campaign against dengue particularly with tasks that eradicate breeding areas for mosquitoes. He stated that there was still a need to remain vigilant against dengue.
“Dengue cases are expected to increase because of the rainy season but we are very optimistic that the number of cases will not reach the level it did last year,” Ona said. He urged the public to ensure that their communities remain clean and free of possible Aedes Aegypti mosquito breeding sites.
The DoH stated that their regional units were continuously assisting LGUs in their efforts to stop the spread of dengue in their areas.