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An infectious disease expert has warned that dengue cases are increasing in highly urbanized areas in the country, attributing the surge to climate change and deteriorating environmental conditions.
On Saturday, Feb. 15, the local government of Quezon City declared a dengue outbreak in the city. The outbreak has already resulted in 10 deaths, including eight minors.
“Ang nakita ko, hindi lang ito sa Quezon City. Kung hindi, tingnan natin ang trending sa ibang areas, ‘yung highly urbanized areas—Baguio, Palawan, Cebu City. December, January, mayroon talaga tayong nakikitang tumataas ang kaso (What I have observed is that this is not just in Quezon City. If we look at trends in other areas—highly urbanized areas like Baguio, Palawan, and Cebu City—we have really seen an increase in cases since December and January),” Dr. Rontgene Solante said during a radio interview on Sunday, Feb. 16.
The expert attributed the surge in dengue cases to changes in mosquito behavior caused by climate change and environmental factors.
“So ‘yung behavior, because of climate change, ‘yung mga lamok na iba na ang behavior nila. Maraming basura, maraming tao. So nag-increase ang vulnerability ng population, nag-iba din ang behavior ng lamok dahil sa environment at climate change (So, their behavior has changed because of climate change. There’s a lot of garbage, a lot of people. This has increased the vulnerability of the population, and mosquito behavior has also changed due to the environment and climate change,” said Solante.
Experts have long warned that rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and overcrowded cities provide ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed, heightening the risk of dengue transmission.
According to Solante, the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, has been consistently admitting dengue patients since late last year.
“In fact, since November, December and then pagpasok ng January, hanggang ngayon hindi kami na-ze-zero sa mga admission sa San Lazaro Hospital—sa dengue (In fact, since November, December, and then entering January, until now, we have not had zero dengue admissions at San Lazaro Hospital),” he said.
He pointed out that although children are the most vulnerable to the mosquito-borne disease, adults have also succumbed to it.
“And in fact mayroon na tayo na nasawing adults. Although we know mga bata pa rin ang vulnerable nito dahil wala pa silang antibody, hindi pa sila na-expose before sa mga ganitong klaseng kaso (And in fact, we have already recorded fatalities among adults. Although we know that children remain the most vulnerable because they have no antibodies yet and have not been exposed to these types of cases before).”
Multiple dengue infections possible
Aside from the rising cases, Solante also highlighted the possibility of multiple dengue infections due to the virus’s different serotypes.
Dengue, he said, has four serotypes, meaning individuals can be infected multiple times in their lifetime.
“So paalala ko lang, apat na stereotypes ang dengue. So ibig sabihin, there’s always a possibility na apat na beses tayong magka-dengue (So just a reminder, dengue has four serotypes. This means there is always a possibility that we can get dengue four times,” he said.
He stressed that children remain the most at risk, as they have not yet developed immunity.
“Kaya mataas dito sa mga bata dahil hindi pa sila na-expose. While ‘yung mga adult na-expose na, so nag-develop na sila ng certain antibodies (This is why cases are higher among children because they have not yet been exposed. While adults have already been exposed, so they have developed certain antibodies).”
Call for preventive measures
With dengue cases on the rise, the Department of Health (DOH) recently urged the public to take proactive measures to prevent mosquito breeding.
The health department is encouraging communities to eliminate stagnant water, dispose of garbage properly, and use insect repellent to reduce the risk of dengue transmission.
The DOH reported that dengue cases have surged by 40 percent, with a total of 28,234 infections recorded as of Feb. 1.
Between January 5 and 18, the number of cases rose to 15,088, reflecting an 8 percent increase from the prior two-week period, the agency noted.
However, the health department reported a decrease in the dengue case fatality rate (CFR), which dropped from 0.42 percent last year to 0.35 percent. — Jel Santos
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Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
