DOH declares national dengue epidemic

The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday declared a national dengue epidemic following the increasing number of dengue cases in the country.

At a press briefing, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said 622 people have died due to dengue.

A total of 146,062 cases have been recorded from January to July 20, which is 98% higher than the same period in 2018.

Data from the DOH showed that Region VI (Western Visayas) had the most number of dengue cases at 23,330.

It was followed by Region IV-A (Calabarzon) with 16,515 cases, Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula) with 12,317 cases, Region X (Northern Mindanao) with 11,455 cases and Region XII (Soccsksargen) with 11,083 cases.

“It is important that a national epidemic be declared in these area to identify where a localized response is needed and to enable the local government units to use their quick response fund to address the epidemic situation,” Duque said.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, chairperson of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said he had ordered all member-agencies to support the nationwide response against dengue.

“I issued a memorandum circular enjoining all member-agencies to support the nationwide dengue epidemic response... Ibig sabihin nito, lahat ng mga member ng NDRRMC na agencies will now support the efforts of the DOH to stop this epidemic because as the Secretary of Health said a while ago, medyo mataas masyado, the number is staggering...” Lorenzana said.

The Defense chief said a national emergency or state of calamity was not declared because there are areas which have big number of cases while other places have only small number of cases.

“It’s up to the provinces, or towns or cities to declare their own state of calamity,” Lorenzana said.

National Dengue Alert

Last month, the DOH declared a "National Dengue Alert" as cases reached 106,630 from January 1 to June 29 this year.

This was 85% higher than the number of dengue cases in the same period in 2018.

Health officials also declared a dengue epidemic in Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao.

Meanwhile, some areas such as Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Cordillera Administrative Region were in the alert threshold.

Dengvaxia controversy

The spike in cases came as debates continued on the use of the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

Malacañang has said the return of the controversial vaccine in the market will have to be discussed thoroughly and extensively.

“If the weight of the findings show that there is benefit using Dengvaxia against dengue then certainly the government should consider it,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo has said.

The Dengvaxia controversy arose in November 2017 when manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur announced that the vaccine may lead to more severe symptoms of dengue for those who have never been infected by the virus prior to vaccination.

As a result, the DOH stopped the school-based dengue immunization program and proposed to Duterte a panel of Asian health experts that will look into safety issues raised against the vaccine.

Several criminal complaints in connection with deaths allegedly linked to Dengvaxia have also been filed by the Public Attorney’s Office before the Department of Justice

Prevention

DOH reiterated its advisory to the public on the 4S tips on how to prevent dengue:

• Search and destroy mosquito breeding sites
• Self-protective measures
• Seek early consultation
• Say yes to selective fogging.

Health officials also said it is important to seek medical attention as soon as dengue symptoms manifest, such as fever running for more than two days, severe joint and muscle pain, fatigue, nausea, skin rashes, and bleeding.

The DOH, together with other government agencies, local government units, schools, offices and communities, would conduct Sabayang 4 o’clock Habit para Deng-Get Out, which aims to focus on search and destroy of mosquito breeding sites.

“This is one of the primary interventions to prevent and control dengue,” Duque said.

“Wala po tayong gamot, wala tayong bakuna, so talagang ito lang ang bukod tanging pamamaraan sa ngayon na puwede nating gawin para maiwasan ang pagkalat ng dengue at sana po ay mabawasan ang bilang ng dengue,” he added. —LDF/RSJ, GMA News