DOH worried as dengue cases rise by 68%

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) is concerned over the rise in dengue cases amid the rainy season.

“Nababahala po ang kagawaran, napakarami na ng dengue cases na na-report (The department is worried, we have so many dengue cases reported),” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa told reporters on Monday, September 16.

As of September 6, the Philippines had 208,965 dengue cases, 68% higher than the 124,157 documented cases in the same period in 2023.

Herbosa said Central Luzon, Western Visayas, and Central Visayas saw a 40% increase in dengue cases, prompting some of the local government units (LGUs) in these regions to declare a state of calamity as hospitals get swamped with dengue patients. The declaration of a state of calamity depends on the LGU, which the DOH said should coordinate with its epidemiology bureau to confirm if there is a local outbreak.

However, there is a lower case fatality rate this year at 0.26% or 546 deaths so far compared with last year’s 0.39%. The department attributes it to “better health-seeking behaviors or case management.”

Except for areas in the three regions that declared a state of calamity, Herbosa said hospitals are not yet overwhelmed with dengue cases.

“Surprisingly, not all hospitals are overrun and I think it’s because of the diagnostic test, ‘yung (the) point of care diagnostic test called NS1,” Herbosa said, referring to the antigen testing done by physicians to confirm if someone is infected with dengue or not.

People can get dengue through infected mosquitoes, which is why the DOH is calling on the public to destroy common mosquito breeding grounds and ensure that their community is kept clean.

“Kami po ay nag-distribute sa mga regional offices namin ng larvicides at adulticide. Ito ‘yung mga para mabawasan ‘yung numero ng lamok, pero importante din hanapin ‘yung mga pinagpupuguran ng lamok kagaya ng mga lumang gulong, timba, ‘yung mga alulod ng bahay na marami nang dahon, nagkakaroon ng tubig ‘yun at pwede magkaroon ng pugaran ng mga larvae or kitikiti,” Herbosa said.

(We distributed in our regional offices larvicides and adulticide. This would help with decreasing the number of mosquitoes, but it is also important to look for mosquito breeding grounds such as old tires, buckets, and house drains that have many leaves left over since water can pool over them and it can be a breeding ground for larvae and ticks.)

Symptoms and control

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists high fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and rash as common symptoms of dengue. While most can recover in a week or two, severe dengue cases can lead to death.

Symptoms of severe dengue would start after the fever, the WHO said. These symptoms include severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, rapid breathing, bleeding gums or nose, fatigue, restlessness, blood in vomit or stool, extreme thirst, pale and cold skin, and feeling weak.

The WHO notes that there is no specific treatment for dengue cases, but the infection is managed through treating symptoms.

Meanwhile, the DOH emphasized the importance of vector control or limiting the possibilities of how an infected mosquito can populate, overdistributing vaccinations against dengue.

“The dengue vaccine does not prevent you from getting dengue, it prevents you from getting serious dengue,” Herbosa said.

“Kaya nga ang binibigyan ng bakuna ‘yung nagka-dengue na, kasi ‘yung second dengue mo ang nagko-cause ng severe infection.”

(That’s why those given a vaccine are the ones who have already been infected with dengue, because your second dengue infection will cause a severe infection) – Rappler.com