No letup in fight vs dengue, public urged
Even as the surge in dengue cases in the country is slowing down, health authorities are urging the public not to be complacent during summertime, and to sustain its community efforts throughout the whole year, regardless of whether there are outbreaks or not.
Dr. Florentina Ty, immediate past president of the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS) and a staunch advocate for dengue prevention, stressed the importance of community collaboration in fighting the fatal disease.
“People know the importance of cleaning their homes and removing mosquito breeding sites. But sustainability is the challenge. These efforts must become habits—not something done just when cases spike,” she said.
According to Ty, the Department of Health’s (DOH) current “5S” strategy—which stands for search and destroy mosquito breeding sites, secure self-protection, seek early consultation, support fogging during outbreaks and sustain hydration—if properly implemented, should have been enough to address the yearlong problem with dengue in the country.
“The problem we face is ningas-kugon,” Ty said, referring to the tendency for community efforts to wane after initial enthusiasm.
“People take action when cases rise, but once they decline, they become complacent. We need to shift this mindset and make these preventive measures a way of life,” Ty said.
The Philippine Medical Association established the Empowering Networks to Defeat (END) Dengue Coalition, uniting specialty and subspecialty societies, including the PPS, to strengthen dengue prevention and management efforts.
The coalition called on President Marcos to help in expediting the approval of a dengue vaccine, particularly Qdenga (TAK-003) of Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda, to prevent future outbreaks.
“Without a vaccine, our current efforts can only go so far,” Ty said. “Vaccination, combined with sustained community engagement and vector control, will be critical to achieving zero dengue mortality by 2030.”
The DOH earlier reported a 7-percent decrease in the number of recorded dengue cases in the country: from 15,550 cases from Jan. 15 to Jan. 25, to only 14,460 cases from Jan. 26 to Feb. 8.
One out of two patients who contracted dengue are children aged 14 years old and below.
Despite this slump, the total number of dengue cases from Jan. 1 to Feb. 22 at 52,008 remains 64 percent higher compared to the same period last year.
Nevertheless, the DOH recorded a lower case fatality rate among dengue patients, from 0.43 percent to 0.36 percent this year. The decrease in dengue-related deaths was attributed by the DOH to Filipinos seeking early consultation and quick medical response, which prevented cases from worsening.
The cold “amihan” (northeast monsoon) season is about to end this month, marking the start of the hot and dry season locally called “summer season.”
