MANILA (UPDATE) - Metro Manila's dengue cases saw a 16 percent increase between late May to early June, the Department of Health said Tuesday.

Some 533 cases were reported from May 22 to June 4, higher than the 458 cases reported 2 weeks prior, the DOH said.

A total of 3,975 dengue cases were reported from January 1 to June 18, according to the health agency. This is 1 percent higher compared to the reported cases during the same period in 2021, it said.

Majority of the dengue cases were reported from the following areas:

• Quezon City (729 cases or 18 percent)
• Caloocan City (502 cases or 13 percent)
• Manila (501 cases or 12 percent)
• Taguig City (472 cases or 12 percent)
• Valenzuela City (444 cases or 11 percent).

From May 22 to June 18, up to 844 cases were recorded, the majority of which were from Quezon City (192 cases or 23 percent), Caloocan City (170 cases or 20 percent), Taguig City (100 cases or 12 percent), Valenzuela City (83 cases or 10 percent), and Malabon City (64 cases or 8 percent).

A total of 13 deaths or a case fatality rate of 0.3 percent in the capital region has been reported so far this year, the DOH said.

These deaths were reported in:

• February: 4
• March: 2
• April: 2
• May: 3
• June: 2

The DOH said that 51,622 dengue cases nationwide were reported from January 1 to June 18. This is 58 percent higher than the 32,610 cases reported during the same period in 2021.

All regions except Ilocos region and Caraga exceeded the alert/epidemic threshold for the past four weeks.

• Dengue cases rise in 7 regions: DOH

The DOH reiterated that hospitals have been directed to provide dengue fast lanes while the public is urged to follow the '4S Strategy':

• SEARCH and destroy mosquito breeding sites
• SECURE self-protection
• SEEK early consultation
• SUPPORT community fogging or spraying in high-case areas

Local governments must coordinate with the Department of Health and barangays to destroy breeding grounds of mosquitoes, according to Dr. Jose Rene de Grano, president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc.

"Malaki ang katungkulan ng LGUs na malinis ang sources po ng mosquitoes. Pag na-control po natin yan kaya po natin kontrolin ang pagdami ng cases," he said in a televised briefing on Thursday.

(LGUs have a big role in cleaning sources of mosquitoes. If these areas are controlled, we can control the increase in cases.)

"Siguro na-concentrate tayo masyado sa COVID at ibang sakit na itong breeding areas na ito--maagang pumasok ang tag-ulan. Medyo nalimutan natin na itong ganitong klase ng sakit na di nahahawa agad."

(We might have been too concentrated on COVId and other illnesses. Rainy season came in early and we forgot about mosquito breeding areas and these kinds of diseases that are not as infectious.)

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