A worker fumigates a curbside in Barangay Commonwealth in line with the NCR-wide synchronized dengue clean-up drive in Quezon City on August 15, 2019. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA -- Ten barangays in Quezon City are considered hotspots for dengue, the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) said on Tuesday. 

According to Dr. Rolly Cruz of the CESU, the 10 barangays are: Alicia, Katipunan, Pag-ibig sa Nayon, Ramon Magsaysay, Santo Cristo, Veterans Village, Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Horsehoe, San Vincente, and Valencia. 

He explained in declaring a hotspot, more than the number of cases, they also consider the population of a barangay as well as its proximity to another hotspot. 

"Kung isa lang ang incidence rate mo pero maliit lang ang population mo, you can still be considered as a hotspot area," he said. 

(If the barangay has only one case and the population is also small, it can still be considered as a hotspot.)

READ: Dengue cases up in PH, deaths down: DOH

"Kahit walang kaso pero kalapit mo 'yung isang barangay na may mataas na incidence ng dengue, puwede kang maging hotspot na tinuturing natin. Hindi naman lahat ng kaso ng dengue ay nabibilang natin. 'Yung mga nagpapa-konsulta at ospital lang. We assume na 'pag mataas ang incidence sa isang barangay, marami pang kaso doon ang hindi natin nakikita."

(Even if your barangay has no case but you are near an area with high incidence, your area can also be considered a hotspot. We know that not all cases of dengue are recorded but only those that sought consultation and hospitalization. We assume that if a barangay has a high dengue incidence, there are more cases that have not been reported.)

Data from the Department of Health-Metro Manila Center for Health Development show that aside from Quezon City, the cities of San Juan, Marikina, Caloocan, and Navotas also saw higher cases of the illness from weeks one to 31 of 2024 compared to the same period last year. 

Health Spokesperson Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo warned the public that aside from leptospirosis, which has already caused deaths, keeping safe from dengue should also be the public’s priority. 

"Ito ay isang seasonal na disease. Masasabi na natin na nandoon na tayo sa panahon na 'yun. Mahalaga yung maagang pagkonsulta at testing. Para 'pag alam natin na dengue 'to, mabibigyan tayo ng karamptang lunas," Domingo said. 

(This is a seasonal disease and we can say that we are already in that season now. Early consultation and testing are important so we can confirm and provide the right treatment.)

The DOH last declared a dengue outbreak in 2019 which affected almost half a million Filipinos, based on data from a report in the medical journal The Lancet.