Duque: Sexually transmitted dengue no cause for concern

MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Monday that the recorded sexually transmitted case of dengue in Spain was not a cause for concern for Filipinos as he maintained that the likelihood of spreading the mosquito-borne disease through sex was “very low.”

“I will not be worried that there can be an epidemic via that route. I would be worried for lack of protection primarily because we don’t want anymore HIV/AIDS cases as much as possible,” Duque told reporters. “The chance of its spreading via that route is very low. It’s incidental to the main issue of unprotected sex.”

Earlier, Spanish health authorities said a 41-year-old man in Madrid contracted dengue although he had not traveled to a country where it is endemic.

He, however, had sex with his male partner who had symptoms of dengue following a trip to Cuba. —JOVIC YEE