Metro Manila dengue cases drop by 68%

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) has observed a 68-percent reduction in dengue cases in Metro Manila this year.

According to DOH director for National Capital Region (NCR) Dr. Eduardo Janairo, a total of 4,042 dengue cases, with 10 deaths, were recorded by the Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU) from Jan. 1 to July 13.

“This is 68 percent lower compared to the same period last year with 12,648. Ages of cases ranged from one month to 79 years old,” he said in a statement.

Most of the cases were males aged 15 to 49, according to Janairo.

He said Quezon City had the most number of cases with 957, followed by Manila with 642 and Caloocan City with 477.

In an interview, RESU director Dr. Manuel Mapue noted that the reduction could be attributed to the “Dengue Rapid Reporting and Response System” that was launched by the DOH-NCR in August last year.

“Because of this reporting system, people became aware of dengue.  We managed to monitor where there are cases of dengue so they were able act in advance,” he told The STAR.

Under the program, residents were asked to report to the DOH any suspected dengue cases. The agency would then have barangay health centers respond and prevent deaths due to dengue.

The system also allowed the DOH to monitor areas with high mosquito density, enabling health workers to immediately implement intervention measures.