DOH: Increased mobility pushes up dengue cases

The Department Health said increased mobility has been identified as one of the causes that contributed to higher dengue cases this year compared to 2021.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, in a Viber message, said there were low cases of dengue in the past two years of the pandemic because there was less mobility of the population.

“Less interaction among people, schools were closed, so as with other establishments,” she said. “People stayed at home most of the time, and this contributed to lesser infections.”

Different regions have been reporting increased dengue cases this year. The DOH, on Wednesday, reported a rise in cases in Eastern Visayas this week with seven deaths and 1,856 patients downed by mosquito bites from January 1 to June 11 this year.

Negros Occidental in Western Visayas, recorded an increase of 456 percent from January 1 to June 4. The province logged 984 cases, including six deaths; from only 177 cases, with three deaths, during the same period in 2021, the DOH noted.

Negros Oriental logged 478 dengue cases from January 1 to June 11 and three deaths, which is 44% higher than the 268 cases and zero deaths during the same period last year.