The Department of Health yesterday declared a national dengue alert for the first time due to the “rapidly” increasing number of dengue cases reported in several regions across the country.
“This is the first time we’re declaring a national alert. The objective is very clear, we want to raise awareness among the public and more importantly in communities were signs of early dengue increases are evident. So, this is something that we think is an important announcement,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III during a press conference at the DoH central office in Manila.
The Health chief reported that there are 106,630 dengue cases reported nationwide from Jan. 1 to June 29, 85 percent higher than the 57,564 cases in the same period last year.
Most cases were recorded in Western Visayas (13,164 cases), Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon area) or Region 4-A (11, 474 cases), Central Visayas (9,199 cases), Socsargen or South Cotabato, Sarangani, and General Santos area (9,107 cases), and Northern Mindanao (8,739 cases).
Duque noted that there is no national epidemic as cases are localized. “We don’t have a national epidemic, it’s localized…in the most regional level which I have mentioned: The top among the regions would be Western Visayas followed by Calabarzon, Central Visayas, Socsargen, and Northern Mindanao. Again, there is no national epidemic but there is certainly regional,” he emphasized.
Duque also noted that several regions have “exceeded the epidemic threshold.” These are Region 4-B or the Mindoro Oriental and Occidental, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan area, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Northern Mindanao.
Regions being monitored after exceeding the alert threshold are Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and Cordillera Administrative Region.
Duque said that dengue cases have been observed to peak every three to four years. “The last peak occurred in 2016, given this pattern, the DoH expects an increase in cases this year,” he said.
“Let me just stressed that the observed dengue spikes every three to four years is really a phenomenon. No science is able to explain it, except for circumstantial evidence of climate change and other factors,” he noted.
Health Undersecretary Rolando Enrique Domingo underscored that the spike in dengue cases have nothing to do with the scare brought by the Dengvaxia vaccine controversy.
“The incidence is not affected by the lower vaccination in the past few years and also we find no connection between the areas were dengue vaccination was given previously, and the number of cases that we’re having now…There is no relation in that,” he said. (Analou de Vera)