MANILA, Philippines - Three regions posted higher dengue cases this year while a downward trend was observed in the rest of the country, according to a report of the Department of Health (DOH).
In its Disease Surveillance Report, the DOH said the Zamboanga Peninsula and the Davao and Bicol regions are the only regions where the number of dengue cases is higher than the same period last year.
From January to April 14 this year, the report said Zamboanga Peninsula had 747 cases compared to 396 cases during the same period last year, while the Davao region posted 1,366 cases against 829 in 2011.
The Bicol region, on the other hand, had 314 cases this year while there were only 266 cases last year.
The DOH noted that nationwide, there were 19,068 dengue cases, or 25.1 percent lower compared to 25,124 cases last year.
“Most of the cases were from the National Capital Region (27.2 percent), Region 3 (22.4 percent) and Region 4-A (16.1 percent),” it said.
There were 107 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 0.56 percent, and most of them were reported in Region 6, 12, Caraga and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Last year, the death toll was pegged at 156.