MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday, April 12, that it saw a spike in dengue cases in some provinces across four different regions.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the rise in cases was seen in some provinces in Zamboanga Peninsula, Cagayan Valley, Western Visayas, and Davao Region. Though cases in the first quarter of the year were lower than in 2021, dengue infections are rising in some areas in the country.

“Sa ngayon kapag tinignan natin ang breakdown among different regions, doon natin nakikita ang pagtaas. Aside from Zamboanga or Region IX, mayroon din tayong nakikitang pagtaas sa mga kaso ng dengue sa Regions II, VI at XI,” she said. (For now, when we see the breakdown among different region, there we will see the increase. Aside from Zamboanga or Region IX, we also see a rise in dengue cases in Regions II, VI, and XI.)

The health spokesperson said that there are specific provinces in the four regions affected by the rise in cases. “Mayroon pong mga ibang probinsya ito na hindi mataas ang kanilang kaso, bagkus bumaba pa ang kaso nila ng dengue,” she explained.

(There are other provinces that we don’t see a rise in cases, instead their dengue cases are low.)

Last week, Zamboanga City declared a dengue outbreak after the city exceeded the case threshold for four consecutive weeks based on the report submitted by the City Health Office (CHO). The CHO has recorded 893 cases, with 11 mortalities, from January 1 to April 2.

Vergeire said the possible cause of the rise in dengue cases was that “it has been raining frequently so we need to thoroughly clean our backyards, houses, and public spaces to get rid of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito which carries the dengue virus.

The DOH said on Monday, April 11, that it was “closely coordinating a response” with the local government on the outbreak of dengue cases in the Zamboanga Peninsula.

“These include dengue preventive measures meant to stop the disease vector, which is the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The public is being advised as to the risks, and what actions they can do to protect against the disease,” the DOH said. – Rappler.com