MANILA, Jul 20 (NNN-PNA) – The Philippine Department of Health (DOH), yesterday said, it recorded 274 deaths from dengue fever, in the last six months, as cases spiked.
The ministry said, it recorded 65,190 dengue cases from Jan 1 to Jul 2 this year, 83 percent higher than a year earlier.
DOH data showed, the Central Luzon region recorded the highest number, with 9,448 cases, followed by the Central Visayas region in the central Philippines with 7,771 cases, and the Zamboanga Peninsula in the southern Philippines with 5,798 cases.
The ministry said, 13 of the country’s 17 regions “have already exceeded the epidemic threshold, in the past four weeks, from Jun 5 to Jul 2.”
To prevent more outbreaks of dengue fever, the ministry urged the public to destroy mosquito breeding places in their communities.
Dengue is endemic in the Philippines. Water-borne infectious diseases, including dengue, usually peak at the start of the rainy season, from Jul to Oct, due to fluctuating weather conditions, flooding, and accumulation of contaminated water in some countries.
Dengue mosquitos breed in stagnant water, like water-filled containers, and some plants, including bananas.
In severe cases, dengue can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting, rashes, breathing problems, hemorrhaging and organ failure.
The Philippines declared a “national dengue epidemic” in Aug, 2019, due to an increasing number of people who died from the disease in the country.– NNN-PNA
