Dengue cases since January 2022 reportedly went up to more than 73,000, of which over 18,000 have been logged in the past weeks alone, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.
DOH officer-in-charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said a total of 18,699 dengue cases were recorded from June 12 to July 9.
This brought the total dengue caseload in the country this year to 73,909.
Vergeire said the regions with the most dengue cases were Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, and the National Capital Region (NCR).
“Right now, our campaign against dengue continues where we are mobilizing our local governments to do the 4S strategy and also mobilize their dengue brigades,” Vergeire said.
The 4S protocols included search and destroy breeding places; use self-protection; seek early consultation; and support fogging or spraying in hotspot areas, especially during the rainy season.
The DOH, along with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), released a joint advisory on Sunday, reminding the public that only scientific solutions can solve the country’s health problems like dengue.
They said that vector control, and not placing frogs and fishes in swamps and stagnant water, could help curb the increasing dengue cases in the Philippines.
“This kind of practice can destroy our ecosystem because frogs are invasive species. They could also pose health risks and poison our countrymen and their pets,” Vergeire said.
Vergeire earlier this month said the increase of dengue cases in the country is already alarming as some individuals are now being admitted in hospitals. Willie Casas
She also said the DOH is open to studying again the possible evidence presented by dengue vaccine Dengvaxia in protecting the people against the virus.
Several government agencies including the DOH on Sunday told the public that vector control, and not placing frogs and fishes in swamps and stagnant water, could help curb the increasing dengue cases in the Philippines.
“Dengue is caused by a virus that is transmitted through a vector, the Aedes sp. mosquito. The main solution to the dengue problem is vector control, that is, to destroy the breeding grounds of these mosquitoes,” the advisory read.
“Releasing invasive species of frogs and fish is NOT the scientific solution. To do so would risk human health, and may also destroy ecological balance leading to other worse problems in the natural environment, like issues in food supply,” it said.
A total of 16,324 dengue cases were recorded in the country from June 5 to July 2, 2022, according to DOH.
All taken, 65,190 dengue cases were registered nationally from January 1 to July 2, 2022, which was around 83% higher compared to the cases reported during the same period last year.
A total of 274 Filipinos have also died due to dengue, DOH added.
Vergeire earlier this month said the increase of dengue cases in the country is already alarming as some individuals are now being admitted in hospitals.
Vergeire also said that DOH is open to studying again the possible evidence presented by dengue vaccine Dengvaxia in protecting the people against the virus.
Some barangays have released hundreds of frogs in the environment hoping to eradicate dengue-carrying mosquitos.