The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday reported a 23 percent increase in dengue cases this year.

A total of 34,938 dengue cases were reported from January 1 to May 21. This is 23 percent higher than the 28,336 cases reported during the same period last year.

The DOH said the most dengue cases were reported from Region VII (4,544 cases), Region III (4,312 cases) and Region IX (3,215 cases).

From April 24 to May 21, a total of 10,738 cases were reported, with the same regions reporting the highest number of cases.

The following regions also reported increasing cases from April 24 to May 21:

• Regions II
• Region III
• Region IV-B (Mimaropa)
• Region V
• Region VI
• Region VII
• Region IX
• Region XI
• Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
• Cordillera Administrative Region

The DOH also reported 180 dengue-related deaths nationwide, with 23 percent of deaths reported in April.

Deaths reported per month were as follows:

• January: 39 deaths
• February: 35 deaths
• March: 33 deaths
• April: 42 deaths
• May: 31 deaths

Early signs of dengue include fever, headache or pain behind the eyes, and body malaise.

• Dengue cases in Region 2 increase by more than 800 percent: DOH official

Meanwhile, the DOH reported 43 cases of chikungunya from January 1 to May 21, 2022. This is 169 percent higher compared to the 16 reported cases within the same period last year.

Majority of the cases, or 67 percent were reported in Region VII (29 cases), with 8 cases (19 percent) from Region XI.

From April 24 to May 21, 13 cases were reported from the following regions:

• Region VII: 10 cases
• Region XI: 1 case
• Region IV-A (Calabarzon): 1 case
• National Capital Region: 1 case

The region with the most number of cases is Region VII, with 90 percent of its 29 cases, or 26 cases, recorded in April. There were only 2 cases reported from May 1 to 21.

There were no deaths reported among the chikungunya cases as of May 21, the DOH added.

Like dengue, chikungunya is contracted through mosquitoes and also has similar symptoms.

RELATED VIDEO

Watch more News on iWantTFC