KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — The Philippines declared a “national dengue alert” after 456 deaths in the first half of the year.
CNN reported Health Secretary Francisco Duque as saying that 106,630 dengue infection cases were recorded throughout the country from January to June 29 this year, marking an 85 per cent increase from 57,564 cases in the same period last year.
The mortality rate for the first half of 2019 was 0.4 per cent, or 456 deaths, up from 278 fatalities in the same period in 2018.
“No national dengue epidemic. It’s localised,” he was quoted saying.
Regions with the highest number of dengue cases recorded are Western Visayas (13,164), CALABARZON (11,474), Central Visayas (9,199), SOCCSKARGEN (9,107), and Northern Mindanao (8,739).
Duque reportedly said dengue spiked every three to four years and that the Philippines last experienced a peak in dengue cases in 2016, and as such, the Department of Health was expecting an increase in cases this year.
“It’s a phenomenon. No science is able to explain it,” he was quoted saying.
