Govt needs strong response to dengue outbreak

DENGUE fever, the potentially fatal mosquito-borne illness that causes thousands of Filipinos to fall ill every year, is again making headlines in the wake of a declaration of a nationwide health alert on July 15. For reasons that go beyond controlling a familiar public health threat, the government must take immediate, visible steps to fight the current outbreak of the disease.

According to the latest updates from the Department of Health (DoH), the Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao regions all have recorded enough cases of dengue that may be considered epidemic in scale.