MANILA – Citing the sharp rise in dengue cases across the country, the Department of Health (DOH) declared a national dengue epidemic.
In a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City yesterday, Health secretary Francisco Duque III said 622 persons died of dengue from 146,062 recorded cases since January this year – 98 percent higher than the cases recorded from January to July 2018.
Western Visayas region had the most number of cases at 23,330, said Duque, followed by Calabarzon with 16,515 cases; Zamboanga Peninsula, 12,317 cases; Northern Mindanao, 11,455 cases; and Soccskargen, 11,083 cases.
“It is important that a national epidemic be dared to identify where localized response is needed and to enable local government units to use their Quick Response Fund to address the situation,” Duque said.
Other regions with high dengue cases were Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and Cordillera Administrative Region.
Iloilo 1st District’s Cong. Janette Garin, a former Health secretary, suggested that the Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccine be reintroduced. Malacañang is considering it.
Garin, the DOH chief during the Aquino administration, spearheaded a school-based Dengvaxia vaccination program in 2016 in regions with the highest incidence of dengue.
DOH stopped it in December 2017 after Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur said the vaccine might increase the risk of severe dengue in recipients who had not previously contracted the mosquito-borne disease./PN
