Dengue cases reported this year reached 73K — DOH

The recorded dengue cases since January 2022 has increased to more than 73,000, of which over 18,000 have been logged in the past weeks alone, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.

In a radio interview, DOH officer-in-charge Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire said that a total of 18,699 dengue cases were recorded from June 12 to July 9.

This brought the total dengue caseload in the country this year to 73,909.

Vergeire said the regions with the most dengue cases were Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, and the National Capital Region (NCR).

“Sa ngayon, patuloy ang ating kampanya laban sa dengue kung saan tayo ay nagmo-mobilize ng ating mga local governments para gawin natin ‘yung 4S strategy at saka ma-mobilize ang kanilang dengue brigades,” she said.

(Right now, our campaign against dengue continues where we are mobilizing our local governments to do the 4S strategy and also mobilize their dengue brigades.)

The 4S habits include: Search and destroy breeding places; Use Self-protection; Seek early consultation; and Support fogging or spraying in hotspot areas, especially during the rainy season.

The DOH, along with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), released a joint advisory on Sunday, reminding the public that only scientific solutions can solve the country’s health problems like dengue.

They said that vector control, and not placing frogs and fishes in swamps and stagnant water, could help curb the increasing dengue cases in the Philippines.

“This kind of practice ay maaring makasira ng ating ecosystem kasi invasive specie itong tinatawag na mga palaka na pinapakalat na ito at ang pinakaimportante ay maaaring makapag-pose ng health risk ito dahil maaaring malason ang ating kababayan and even their pets,” Vergeire said.

(This kind of practice can destroy our ecosystem because frogs are invasive species. They could also pose health risks and poison our countrymen and their pets.)

Vergeire earlier this month said the increase of dengue cases in the country is already alarming as some individuals are now being admitted in hospitals.

She also said the DOH is open to studying again the possible evidence presented by dengue vaccine Dengvaxia in protecting the people against the virus. — RSJ, GMA News