Over 51,000 dengue cases reported since January

MANILA, Philippines - Dengue has afflicted 51,597 individuals from Jan. 1 to July 14 and the number continues to rise, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.

In a report, the DOH said the figure is 16.43 percent higher than the 44,315 cases recorded during the same period last year.

Most of the cases were from the National Capital Region (22.24 percent), Calabarzon (14.08 percent) and Central Luzon (13.65 percent), according to the report.

Ages of the cases ranged from less than one month to 90 years old. 

Of the 51,597 cases, 324 have died, representing a case fatality rate of 0.63 percent.  

This is also higher than the 293 deaths during the same period last year.

The report showed Metro Manila accounted for 11,476 of the cases and for 57 deaths. Of this number, 3,589 cases came from Quezon City; 1,931 from Manila; 1,376 from Caloocan City; 674 from Parañaque; 655 from Valenzuela; 595 from Pasig; 457 from Malabon; 410 from Taguig; 333 from Pasay City; 303 from Las Piñas; 255 from Makati; and 239 from Marikina.

Lyndon Lee Suy, DOH Dengue Control Program manager, has reiterated the call for the public to eliminate all possible breeding sites of mosquitoes to prevent dengue outbreaks. “When cleaning the surroundings make sure that you get rid of anything that can hold water because they can become breeding sites of mosquitoes,” he said.