EDITORIAL — Not just seasonal

And just like that, dengue is becoming a problem again, at least in nine local government units spread out across the National Capital Region, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon.

While only Quezon City came out to declare a dengue outbreak, already with 10 fatalities most of them children, the Department of Health (DOH) said they cannot name the other LGUs because making such a declaration should be the initiative of the unit itself.

What is concerning the DOH more is the seemingly early arrival of dengue and the alarming spike in cases compared to the same period last year.

DOH spokesman Albert Domingo said that as of February 1, the DOH has recorded 28,234 dengue cases, or 40% higher compared to the same period last year.

"This is 40% higher compared to last year. But what is more concerning to the DOH is why is it happening this early in the year," Domingo said.

Indeed, we have been conditioned to think that dengue cases only become an issue during the rainy season when water collects in hollows and offers mosquitoes breeding grounds, who knew it could also strike even before summer?

Apparently mosquitoes don’t really need that much water to be able to breed; even the smallest of sumps or the shallowest of pools is enough.

For now, the cases are concentrated in those LGUs in those three regions in Luzon, but who knows if this will eventually become a nationwide issue?

With climate change bringing more unpredictable weather, including more frequent and stronger storms --which brings the water that collects in hollows-- we now have more incentive to keep our surroundings clean and take precautions against dengue.

We hope that some LGUs don’t have to learn the hard way that dengue is actually not a seasonal disease; it’s something that can strike anytime of the year if the conditions are right.