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National Dengue Alert Article

The Department of Health declared a national dengue alert as dengue cases in the Philippines rose to over 106,000 from January to June 2019, an 85% increase from the same period in 2018. Several regions had exceeded epidemic thresholds while others exceeded alert thresholds. The DOH secretary emphasized early detection to prevent deaths, and urged the public to follow the "4S strategy" of searching for and destroying mosquito breeding sites, taking self-protective measures, seeking early medical consultation, and approving fogging during outbreaks. Dengue cases typically peak every 3-4 years in the Philippines.

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36 views2 pages

National Dengue Alert Article

The Department of Health declared a national dengue alert as dengue cases in the Philippines rose to over 106,000 from January to June 2019, an 85% increase from the same period in 2018. Several regions had exceeded epidemic thresholds while others exceeded alert thresholds. The DOH secretary emphasized early detection to prevent deaths, and urged the public to follow the "4S strategy" of searching for and destroying mosquito breeding sites, taking self-protective measures, seeking early medical consultation, and approving fogging during outbreaks. Dengue cases typically peak every 3-4 years in the Philippines.

Uploaded by

Awani O
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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DOH declares national dengue alert

(UPDATED) The Department of Health reports a total of 106,630 dengue cases from January to June
2019

Janella Paris
Published 1:59 PM, July 15, 2019
NATIONAL DENGUE ALERT. The total number of dengue cases in the Philippines stands at 106,630
from January to June 2019.

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The Department of Health (DOH) declared a National Dengue
Alert on Monday, July 15, as dengue cases continued to rise in several regions in the country.

The health department said that the following regions had exceeded the epidemic threshold: Mimaropa,
Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Northern Mindanao.

The following regions, meanwhile, have exceeded the alert threshold: Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley,
Calabarzon, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao, and Cordillera Administrative Region.

The epidemic threshold is the the critical number of cases required for an epidemic to be declared. The
alert threshold, meanwhile, is the number of cases that sounds an early warning for a potential epidemic.

In the Philippines, the epidemic and alert thresholds for dengue vary from region to region, as
computations take into account localised incidences of the disease within the last 3 to 5 years.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said 106,630 dengue cases had been reported from January 1 to
June 29, 2019 – 85% more than the 57,564 cases reported from the same period in 2018.

Early detection, 4S strategy important

Duque emphasized that early detection is crucial in order to prevent deaths resulting from dengue.

With 456 deaths as a result of dengue this year, the fatality ratio remains low at 0.4%. But with the health
department's goal to bring the numbers down to less than 0.2%, it urged the public to observe the 4S
strategy, which they say is the most effective way to prevent dengue. The strategy consists of the
following:

 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
 Say yes to fogging if there is an impending outbreak
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection, contracted through a bite of Aedes aegypti and Aedes
albopictus mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus.

These mosquitoes can lay eggs in spaces or containers that hold stagnant water – bottle caps, dish dryers,
gutters, trash cans, old rubber tires. Even plant axils with stagnant water can be nests for dengue-infected
mosquitoes. Symptoms of dengue include sudden onset of fever for 2 to 7 days, along with two of the
following: headache, body weakness, joint and muscle pains, pain behind the eyes, loss of appetite,
vomiting, diarrhea, and rashes.

Health care providers and family members should also be on the lookout for patients whose fever comes
back after dropping by at least 1°C or to almost normal between 3 and 6 days. Abdominal pain or
tenderness, persistent vomiting, edema (swelling), lack of energy, and bleeding in the mouth or nose
should also serve as warning signs.

Duque explained that dengue cases have been observed to peak every 3-4 years. The last peak occurred in
2016. Given the pattern, the health department expects an increase in cases this year.

This rise in dengue cases comes as the health department continues to monitor the ongoing measles
outbreak.

The DOH earlier said that it would only lift the declaration of the measles outbreak once it reaches its
vaccination target of 95% or some 13 million people immunized. As of July 3, only 11% has been
reached.

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