Dengue cases hit 16,000

MANILA, Philippines - Nearly 200 people have died while more than 16,000 others have been hospitalized this year because of dengue, the Department of Health (DOH) reported.

Latest data from the DOH’s National Epidemiology Center (NEC) showed that a total of 16,317 dengue cases were admitted in various government hospitals nationwide. The figure recorded from Jan. 1 to Aug. 1 also includes 165 deaths.

Health officials said ages of dengue patients range from less than a month to 96 years. A majority of the 70 percent of cases belonged to one to 20-year-old age group.

Death rate was high among those less than 10 and 40 years.

Despite the high number of dengue cases, DOH officials noted that the recorded dengue cases in the first seven months of the year was 37.2 percent lower compared to the same period last year.

The National Capital Region (NCR) accounted for the biggest number, or 23 percent of the total cases. 

Other regions that posted high number of dengue cases were Southern Mindanao, Calabarzon, Western Visayas, Region 12 and Central Luzon.

The DOH also reported clustering of cases in some areas of Quezon City and Valenzuela and in the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, Iloilo, Guimaras, Misamis Oriental and Davao del Sur.

Health officials earlier said the public should be more cautious against dengue, which has resulted to the deaths of more people nationwide compared to influenza A(H1N1).

The DOH has called on the public to rid their places of mosquito-breeding sites to prevent possible rise in dengue cases.