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By Katrice R. Jalbuena and
Francis Earl A. Cueto, Reporters
THE cold weather and intermittent
showers have created a surge in dengue cases in the Philippines, the
Department of Health said Tuesday.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque
3rd said dengue cases are rising not only in the Philippines but in
other countries in Southeast Asia such as Singapore, Vietnam and
Thailand.
“Contrary to what many people
feel, dengue is not a seasonal disease,” Duque said. “Dengue
mosquitoes can breed and spread the disease year long if the
conditions are right.”
He has advised municipalities and
their residents to stay alert and continue to keep their areas clean
and free of stagnant water where the mosquitoes could breed.
The most recent confirmed
outbreak in the Philippines is in Bayugan, Agusan del Sur. Agusan
del Sur has been experiencing heavy rains and flooding since last
December.
For January alone, around 18
cases of dengue were recorded in Bayugan, three of which resulted in
death.
But Duque said the situation in
Bayugan is under control. “All requisite measures, such as
fogging, clean up and destruction of breeding sites, have been
conducted,” he said.
Dr. Eric Tayag of the DOH’s
National Epidemiology Center said they were still confirming
reports of 15 dengue cases in Barangay San Antonio, San Pablo,
Laguna.
The reported outbreak in Laguna
is said to have caused three deaths.
The department is also
investigating a series of dengue cases reported in Pasig City, where
27 people have been hospitalized since the start of the year.
Reports said most of the victims
were treated at the Rizal Medical Center in Pasig.
Initial reports identified the
latest patient as Landie Minao of Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City.
Doctors diagnosed the patient had Stage-2 dengue hemorrhagic fever.
Doctors at Rizal Medical said the
patients came from Taguig, Pasig, Makati City, and Taytay and Cainta
towns in Rizal.
Some of the cases had Stage-4
dengue, but there have been no deaths reported so far.
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