Dengue cases soar to 160,000 with 661 deaths

MANILA, Philippines — The number of dengue cases has soared to more than 160,000, the highest in the last five years, with 661 fatalities so far, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.

Undersecretary Eric Domingo noted the DOH-Epidemiology Bureau had documented a total of 12,880 cases in barely a week from July 21 to 27, which brought the total number to 167,606 patients since Jan. 1.

“This is the highest in the last five years. This is also 98 percent higher than the cases during the same period in 2018. That’s why this is the first time that we declared a national dengue epidemic,” Domingo said.

The figure will likely breach the 216,190 cases recorded in the entire 2018.  

According to Domingo, there are 10 regions “having cases beyond the epidemic threshold,” which include Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Central Visayas, Western Mindanao, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The DOH is closely monitoring the National Capital Region and Ilocos, both exceeding the alert threshold for dengue.

“The peak of dengue starts in August and this will go on in September, October and November. It will start to decrease in December,” Domingo said.

To curb the spread of dengue, the DOH has been coordinating with the Department of Education so that schools can allow students to wear long pants to protect themselves against mosquitoes.

The DOH is also working with the Department of the Interior and Local Government to ensure the so-called 4 o’clock habit is strictly implemented at the barangay level.

Under the program, the DOH is promoting the 4S strategy: search and destroy mosquito breeding sites; seek early consultation with dengue; self protection, and say “yes” to fogging only in hotspots.

Executive director Ricardo Jalad of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that based on latest monitoring, new cases were recorded in the Ilocos with 5,322 patients and 11 deaths.

Jalad said that Pangasinan reported 2,643 cases with five deaths; Ilocos Sur, 1,464 cases and two deaths; Ilocos Norte, 701 cases and one death and La Union with 514 monitored cases and three fatalities.

A total of 10,636 dengue cases have been reported in Central Luzon with 39 deaths; Calabarzon with 20,636 cases and 74 deaths; Mimaropa with 4,488 cases and 13 deaths; 27,630 cases with 126 deaths  in Western Visayas; 11,085 cases with 74 deaths in Central Visayas, 7,775 cases wiith 27 fatalities in Eastern Visayas.

In Northern Mindanao, the NDRRMC-DOH monitoring reported 13,734 cases with 53 deaths; Central Mindanao with 10,338 cases and 50 deaths, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) with 3,458 cases and seven deaths; Caraga with 7,010 cases with 18 deaths.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police have mobilized all their available manpower and resources to assist the DOH in transporting medical teams and logistics to the affected regions.

On the other hand, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) as of last Tuesday has served 340 dengue patients in Panay Island, 71 still under hospital confinement, while 241 others have already been discharged. 

State of calamity

The Ormoc City council had declared last Thursday that the city be placed under a state of calamity owing to the dengue epidemic.

The Health Board and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council recommended the declaration of a state of calamity to Ormoc Mayor Richard Gomez last Wednesday. 

Dr. Edmund Kierulf, officer-in-chagre of the city health department, said the local dengue situation is alarming, with 426 cases as of Aug. 6 compared to 262 cases during the same period last year. 

Last Monday, 21 dengue patients were admitted to local hospitals while 21 other cases were reported on Aug. 1.

Elsie Jaca, infectious disease monitoring officer, said dengue cases have increased by over 60 percent compared to last year’s record.

City Councilor Gerardo Penserga, a doctor, warned the people that more residents could be infected with dengue if communities would not participate in activities to eradicate the carrier mosquitoes.  

The declaration of a state of calamity would allow the release of the city’s calamity funds, which could be used to buy equipment, supplies and medicine.

In Pangasinan, provincial health officer Anna Ma. Teresa de Guzman said dengue cases in the province have decreased by 29 percent based on records from January to Aug. 5 this year, when 2,750 cases with five deaths were recorded compared to the same period last year with 3,877 cases and 12 fatalities.

“So it’s 29 percent lower,” De Guzman said.

She said with the declaration of a national dengue epidemic by the DOH, they are intensifying their campaign to fight dengue.  

Bataan also reported fewer dengue cases this year compared to last year.

Dr. Rosanna Buccuhan, chief of Bataan provincial health office, said 771 dengue cases were reported from January to July this year compared to the 1,100 cases for the same period in 2018, or 30 percent lower. - With Jaime Laude, Paolo Romero, Eva Visperas, Lalaine Marcos, Ric Sapnu