NDRRMC: Dengue cases in Central Luzon up 200%

MANILA, Philippines – Dengue cases rose by 200 percent in Central Luzon in the first quarter of 2011, a Radyo Inquirer report quoted regional health officials as saying Thursday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit Region 3 recorded 3688 dengue cases from January 1 to April 16, with Bulacan province having the most number of cases, followed by Nueva Ecija, and Pampanga.

The NDRRMC said that 51.8 percent of the dengue victims were mostly young and adult males.

The report, however, did not provide a comparative analysis of the dengue situation in the first quarter of 2010.

The officials continue to monitor the affected communities to prevent an outbreak.

Ardigail Sarangelo, Contributor