Representative image: Workers fogging in the housing estate at Aljunied Crescent in Singapore as 40 more cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infections reported on August 28, 2016. AFP / Wong Kwai Chow
Manila: Philippine health authorities declared on Monday a national dengue alert due to the rapid increase of dengue cases in several regions of the country.
The number of patients who died from dengue in January to June this year was up 39 percent from 278 in the same period in 2018, according to data from the Philippine Department of Health.
The department has also recorded a total of 106,630 cases of dengue infection nationwide in the first six months of the year, 85 percent higher than the 57,564 cases in the same period last year.
Due to the increase, the department declared a "national dengue alert", directing regional offices to step up surveillance of dengue cases and heightened implementation of strategies to combat the disease.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque reported that Region 4-B (Mimaropa), Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Northern Mindanao have exceeded the epidemic threshold for dengue.
"This is the first time we're declaring a national alert because the objective is very clear we want to raise awareness among the public and more importantly in communities where signs of early dengue increase are evident," Health Secretary Francisco Duque said.
Duque reiterated that the 4S strategy remains the most effective way to prevent dengue cases and deaths. This includes: Search and destroy mosquito breeding places; Self-protective measures like wearing long sleeves and use of insect repellent; Seek early consultation on the first signs and symptoms of the disease; and Say yes to fogging if there is an impending outbreak.
The disease is now endemic in more than 100 countries in the WHO regions of Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia and the Western Pacific.
