DOH: Dengue cases decline in first two months of 2018

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. INQUIRER.net PHOTO/CATHY MIRANDA

The Department of Health (DOH) has recorded more than 30 percent decline in cases of dengue in the country for the first two months of the year, compared with the same period last year.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said dengue cases nationwide dropped by about 32.56 percent.

“Well, ang laki ng binaba ng dengue natin noong 2018, at least itong first two months,” Duque said in an interview with Radyo Inquirer 990AM on Wednesday.

(We had a huge drop in dengue [cases] in [early] 2018, at least for the first two months.)

According to the data of the DOH, there were 15,599 dengue cases recorded nationwide from Jan. 1 to February 24 this year.

In 2017, the health department recorded 23,131 dengue cases during the same period.

READ: Dengue cases down–DOH

“So hopefully patuloy ang pagbagsak ng kaso ng dengue sa Pilipinas,” Duque said.

(Hopefully the decrease in the cases of dengue in the Philippines will continue.)

The decrease in the number of dengue cases this year was related to the “cyclical character” of dengue carrying mosquitos, Duque said.

“Ang dengue mismo may cyclical character every three to five years—talagang bumababa siya tapos tataas ulit yan. Ganun yan eh, ganun ang behavior ng dengue (Dengue actually has cyclical character every three to five years—it actually dropped but it will rise again. That is the behavior of dengue),” he said. /jpv