Manila, November 24 (IANS). The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) said 340,860 cases of dengue were reported from January 1 to November 16 this year, an 81 percent increase from the same period last year.
Xinhua news agency quoted the Health Department as saying that 881 deaths due to dengue have been recorded during this period. The agency said the fatality rate so far this year is 0.26 percent, down from 0.34 percent recorded last year.
Philippines Health Secretary Teodoro Herboza urged countrymen to remain vigilant, especially those affected by flooding caused by six typhoons that hit the country in October and November.
After frequent storms, mosquitoes can breed in stagnant water, he said.
Dengue is a common disease in the Philippines. Water-borne infectious diseases, including dengue, usually peak during the rainy season.
Typhoon Man-Yi struck the Philippines on November 16, killing eight people. The storm caused floods and landslides at many places in the country.
The typhoon was the sixth powerful typhoon to hit the Philippines in less than a month. This is the 16th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year. Successive cyclones caused heavy rainfall, floods and landslides, causing widespread devastation in Luzon and other parts of the island group.
–IANS
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