Dengue Cases in the Philippines

But first, the facts and figures (everything youve always wanted to know about

dengue but didnt know who to ask). The first known dengue epidemic (or

dengue hemorrhagic fever) anywhere in the world was recorded in Manila back

in 1953. By 2004 until 2010, the country harbored the seventh highest number of

dengue cases in the world, according to the World Health Organization. In 2013,

the Department of Health reported 204,906 dengue cases, the highest number

recorded since the National Dengue Prevention and Control Program was put up

in 1993. Although there was a slight decrease in reported cases in 2014, data in

2015 and 2016 show an alarming increasing trend. In 2015, dengue cases

reached epidemic proportions with an average of 220 cases reported every day.

Dengue has four serotypes; in the Philippines, all four are constantly circulating,

its a hyper-endemic country, Sanofi Pasteurs Joshua Nealon tells us as he

points at a graph during his PowerPoint presentation. In the top right, you can

see the distribution of the disease, so most cases here happen between the ages

of five and approximately 20 years old, and the median age of infection is 12 or

13 years of age.

Posing a year-round threat to the Philippines, dengue data suggest that the

number of cases increases one to two months after the onset of the rainy

season, thus peaking between July and November each year. Vulnerable to the
effects of climate change, the country is severely affected by extreme weather

conditions. Mosquito-borne diseases like dengue may be particularly sensitive to

changes in global and local climates. (Alano, 2016) (Alano, 2016) (Alano, 2016)

(Alano, Lifestyle, 2016)