By Ma. Teresa Montemayor
MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said it is assisting nine local government units (LGUs) spread out across Calabarzon, Central Luzon, and the National Capital Region (NCR) which saw a sharp increase in dengue cases.
In a radio interview, DOH spokesperson Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said Quezon City is among the Metro Manila LGUs with a rising number of dengue cases.
On Saturday, the Quezon City government declared a dengue outbreak after recording 1,769 cases from Jan. 1 to Feb. 14, which is almost 200 percent higher compared to the cases logged for the same period last year.
At least 10 dengue deaths were logged, and eight of them were minors.
Across the country, the DOH reported a total of 28,234 cases from Jan. 1 to Feb. 1 — a 40-percent increase in cases for the same period in 2024.
“Ang kakaiba dito ay ‘yung maagang pagpasok ng tag-ulan eh, hindi siya panahon ng tag-ulan eh, ‘yung shear line, ITCZ [intertropical convergence zone], easterlies, dumadami ‘yung pagbuhos ng tubig talagang naiipon yan sa paligid-ligid, ‘yung lamok talagang dumadami (What’s different is the early rains, it’s not the rainy season, the shear line, ITCZ, easterlies, water gather in places, and mosquitoes breed there),” Domingo said.
He said the behavior of mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus has varied due to climate change.
Domingo advised the public to wear protective clothing, use mosquito repellent, and to destroy breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
One of the symptoms of dengue is high-grade fever which ranges from 39 to 40 °C, four to 10 days after a mosquito bite.
“Kunwari, biglang gumaling ang lagnat after mga four or five days, minsan doon tayo mas mag-ingat eh. Ang pattern ng dengue fever, tataas ‘yan nang napakataas tapos babagsak (Sometimes, we have to be more cautious when fever is gone after four or five days. The pattern of dengue is, fever will be very high then very low),” he said.
“Tapos kapag nawala na ‘yung lagnat, saka lalabas ang tinatawag na warning signs, pagdurugo ng gilagid, pagpapantal, pag-iba ng kulay ng dumi, which is already an advanced stage, ibig sabihin nagdurugo na sa loob ng katawan (After the fever, warning signs like bleeding of gums, rashes, different color of stool, which is already an advanced stage, it means there’s bleeding inside the body).”
The DOH Centers for Health Development, through their respective Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Units (RESU), have been advising their ESU counterparts about dengue cases at the LGU level.
According to the DOH, the declaration of a local dengue outbreak may only be done by an LGU official, in accordance with law.
“Ang pagdeklara ng isang outbreak ay hindi nangangahulugan ng sakuna. Ibig sabihin nito, tumaas ang bilang lampas sa pangkaraniwang inaasahan sa isang bahagi ng taon, ang bilang ng kaso (The declaration of an outbreak does not mean a disaster. It only means the number of cases is unusually higher that the number of cases recorded in a particular period in a year),” Domingo said. (PNA)
