THE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, August 6, declared a national dengue epidemic amid the rising cases of the mosquito-borne disease that has so far claimed at least 622 lives since January throughout the Philippines.

According to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, the declaration was needed to speed up response.

“It is important that a national epidemic be declared in these areas to identify where a localized response is needed and to enable the local government units to use their quick response fund to address the epidemic situation,” he said during a press conference at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in Camp Aguinaldo.

The announcement came following the national dengue alert that DOH issued three weeks ago.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, as chair of the NDRRMC, said he has issued a memorandum circular urging all agencies of NDRRMC “to support the nationwide dengue epidemic response.”

“Lahat nung mga member ng NDRRMC na agencies (All member agencies of the NDRRMC) will now support the efforts of the DOH to stop this epidemic, eliminate this epidemic,” he said.

Lorenzana also explained that a national emergency or state of calamity had not been declared due to the disease only affecting select areas.

“May mga areas na malaki, mas malaki ang tama, may mga maliliit (There are areas that are worse affected, others not so much). It’s up to the provinces and towns to declare their own state of calamity,” he said.

Duque noted that 146,062 dengue cases were recorded nationwide from Jan. 1 to July 20 — a figure that is twice the recorded cases (73,818) during the same period last year.

Based on a DOH dengue surveillance report, Western Visayas had the most number of cases at 23,330, followed by Calabarzon with 16,515. Zamboanga Peninsula reported 12,317 cases; Northern Mindanao, 11,455; and SOCCSKSARGEN, 11,083 cases.

Meanwhile, the seven regions that have exceeded the epidemic threshold are Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and Northern Mindanao.

Ilocos, Central Visayas and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, on the other hand, are the regions that have exceeded the alert threshold.

A group of doctors, scientists and health professionals on Thursday, Aug. 1, urged the government to lift the ban on Dengvaxia vaccine due to the surge in dengue cases.

Dengvaxia was banned in 2017 after Sanofi Pasteur, its manufacturer, disclosed that the vaccine could cause severe dengue in patients with no prior exposure to the virus.

Duque, for his part, pointed out that Dengvaxia was not cost-effective at P1,000 per dose.

“It is not recommended for mass vaccination because there is no reliable test that would establish prior dengue infection. If there is, this particular test cross-reacts with several other viruses,” the health secretary said.

“Who knows that severe dengue reaction will not occur in a particular individual? So there’s a risk,” he added. </s> Health officials in the Philippines declared a national emergency this week after a record-breaking 106,630 cases of Dengue fever were reported since January.

Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III issued the alert Monday after pointing to several regions that are experiencing the 85 percent uptick in the disease when compared to last year’s figures.

“From January 1 to June 29 this year, most cases are from Western Visayas (13,164), Calabarzon (11,474), Central Visayas (9,199), Soccsksargen (9,107), and Northern Mindanao (8,739),” the health ministry said in a statement.

PHILIPPINES’ DUTERTE SAYS HE WAS ONCE GAY BU ‘CURED’ HIMSELF AFTER MEETING HIS EX-WIFE

“Dengue cases nationwide now reach a cumulative figure of 106,630. This is 85 percent higher compared to the same period last year.”

The spike in cases usually comes every 3-4 years with the last known increase having been in 2016, Duque said, making this year’s figures as expected.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dengue is common to more than 100 countries and, on average, about 400 million people will get infected with the disease each year. Of that number, 100 million will get sick and 22,000 will die from the infection.

The virus is usually spread through the bite of an infected mosquito.

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Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, rashes, and aches and pains. There is no known cure or medication for the disease.

Health officials warned the public to implement the “4S strategy” which encourages them to “search and destroy mosquito breeding places.” It also advises them to wear long sleeves and wear insect repellent and, if any symptoms show, they should consult a doctor immediately. </s> – The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) has declared the country’s outbreak of dengue to be a national epidemic in the wake of 146,062 cases recorded from January to July 20 this year.The declaration was made by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on August 6, shortly after a plenary meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).Duque said the reported cases are 98 percent higher than the same period last year. Of the cases, 622 were confirmed death.Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, as NDRRMC chair, issued a memorandum to all disaster response units across the country for the strict implementation of the national dengue epidemic declaration.According to a DOH report, Western Visayas has the biggest number of cases at 23,330. Seven out of the 17 regions have exceeded the epidemic threshold of dengue for the past three consecutive weeks.Duque said the total number of cases nationwide for a week alone, from July 14 to 20, is at 10,502, or 71 percent higher compared to the same period in 2018.The Philippines has stood firm on its ban on the world’s first and only licensed dengue vaccine Dengvaxia made by French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur, following the deaths of dozens of children who were among the more than 700,000 people given shots in 2016 and 2017 in a government immunisation campaign.In 2016, the country became the first in Asia to approve the use of Dengvaxia, but a year later, the vaccine was banned after Sanofi Pasteur announced that in rare cases, vaccinating people with no prior history of dengue infection could lead them to develop a more severe form of the disease.–VNA </s> July 16 (UPI) -- More than 450 people have died in the Philippines of dengue, a viral disease that has affected a region of more than 20 million people.

Philippine health authorities this week issued a "national dengue alert" as cases have nearly doubled from same time last year, CNN reported Tuesday.

About 100,000 dengue cases have been reported in the Philippines in the first six months of 2019, up 85 percent from 2018, according to the report.

Regions affected include Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao, regions home to 20 percent of the country's population.

Dengue induces fever in patients, and is a mosquito-borne viral infection. The disease includes symptoms similar to the flu: painful headaches, muscle and joint pain and full body rashes.

The World Health Organization says about half a million people, out of the "millions" infected with dengue worldwide, require hospitalization. About 12,500 people die annually from the disease.

Climate change could be responsible for the rise in dengue cases in countries like the Philippines, India and Brazil.

In addition to dengue, diseases like chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika have moved north as temperatures rise in the southern United States, inland Australia and coastal China and Japan, according to CNN.

Rappler reported the national alert in the Philippines came on Monday. Other regions, including Muslim Mindanao have been designated as regions that have exceeded the alert threshold. </s> The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday, July 15, declared a national dengue alert after 450 people, including infants and a centenarian, died in the first six months of the year due to rapidly increasing cases of dengue in several regions.

“This is the first time we’re declaring a national alert because the objective is clear: We want to raise awareness among the public and, more importantly, in communities where signs of early dengue increases are evident,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III at a press briefing.

DOH records show that from Jan. 1 to June 29, 106,630 cases were reported nationwide, including 456 deaths.

“This is 85 percent higher compared to the same period last year, which is 57,564,” Duque said.

The biggest number of reported dengue cases came from Western Visayas (13,164), Calabarzon (11,474), Central Visayas (9,199), Soccsksargen (9,107) and Northern Mindanao (8,739).

Duque also announced that Code Blue Alert has been raised as well for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) health cluster.

With this, there will be heightened surveillance by the DOH’s regional offices for dengue and heightened implementation of anti-dengue strategies. Half of all hospital personnel will also report for duty.

Regions that have exceeded the epidemic threshold are Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), Western Visayas (Region VI), Central Visayas (Region VII) and Northern Mindanao (Region X).

Meanwhile, regions being monitored after having exceeded the alert threshold are Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Cordillera Administrative Region.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) country representative Gundo Weiler, the Philippines must brace for severe dengue this year.

He said the rise in dengue can be attributed to various factors such as migration and climate change.

“Dengue globally is a huge issue. More than half of the world’s population is living in areas where there is exposure to dengue,” he said.

“There are lots of efforts we can do and we can alleviate severity of dengue outbreak. Like if we pursue some of the simple community measures – search and destroy the breeding sites of mosquitoes and self protection against mosquito bites,” he added.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto on Monday proposed that screened windows and doors be installed in public schools to prevent the spread of dengue.

“During school days, one in four Filipinos are in public schools,” Recto said, citing his computation from 27 million students taught by 830,000 teachers in about 47,000 schools this year.

“If Filipinos congregate there, then we should make sure that mosquitoes don’t go to school with them. Aedes aegypti should not be enrolled, or if they’re there, they should be expelled,” he added. </s> (CNN) A national dengue epidemic has been declared in the Philippines, where 622 people have died of the mosquito-borne disease since January and millions more are at risk.

From the start of the year to July 20, there have been more than 146,000 cases recorded -- a 98% increase from the same time period last year, according to the country's Department of Health.

The Philippines had declared a national dengue alert just last month after reporting more than 450 deaths -- but officials had said the dengue was "localized," according to CNN affiliate CNN Philippines

With almost two hundred additional deaths in the past month, the crisis has now escalated to a national epidemic.

The epidemic was declared in order to enable government agencies to better identify at risk areas, said a health ministry statement.

"It is important that a national epidemic be declared in these areas to identify where a localized response is needed, and to enable the local government units to use their Quick Response Fund to address the epidemic situation," said Health Secretary Francisco Duque in the statement.

Several other regions like Central Visayas and Ilocos are at high risk with thousands of cases reported, though not yet past the epidemic threshold.

"As part of our data, is 5,100 cases per week average," said Duque at a press conference about the epidemic on Wednesday. "This is really staggering. This is going to be a record number."

Since July, health officials have worked to combat the spread of the viral infection. They deployed hundreds of doctors and nurses to provincial and district hospitals, and provided emergency funding to affected regions, among other measures, according to the Department of Health

The Philippines became the first country in Asia to approve the use of the Dengvaxia vaccine, the world's first and only licensed dengue vaccine made by French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pateur, in 2016.

The drug was distributed to more than 800,000 students as part of school-based government immunization program, but was suspended in 2017 after clinical trial data showed that it could have unintended consequences in non-infected patients.

Despite the epidemic, the government has no immediate plans to reintroduce the vaccine to the public, Mark Timbal, spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council told CNN Wednesday.

Timbal said the adverse effects of Dengvaxia were still being investigated by the government and in the meantime, efforts would focus on the removal or destruction of mosquito breeding sites, in collaboration with schools, communities, and local governments.

Dengue cases in the Philippines have historically surged every three to four years, and the sharp increase this year is in line with expectations after a 2016 spike, Duque said last month. These spikes aren't isolated to just the Philippines, either -- last week , more than 1,000 people in Bangladesh were diagnosed with dengue in a 24-hour period, and hospitals are now overflowing with patients. </s> FILE – In this April 30, 2019 file photo, Philippine Health Secretary Dr. Francisco Duque III displays a graph showing the decline of the measles outbreak in the country during a press conference during World Immunization Week 2019 in Manila, Philippines. The Philippines’ Department of Health has declared the country’s massive outbreak of dengue to be a national epidemic on Tuesday Aug. 6, 2019. An announcement from the agency says Health Secretary Francisco Duque III made the declaration in order to improve responses to the outbreak by allowing local governments to draw on a special Quick Response Fund. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines’ Department of Health on Tuesday declared the country’s outbreak of dengue to be a national epidemic.

The agency said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III made the declaration to improve the response to the outbreak by allowing local governments to draw on a special Quick Response Fund.

It said the Philippines recorded 146,062 cases of dengue from January through July 20 this year, 98% more than the same period in 2018. It said the outbreak caused 622 deaths.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection found in tropical countries worldwide. It can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting and a rash, and can cause breathing problems, hemorrhaging and organ failure in severe cases. While there is no specific treatment for the illness, medical care to maintain a person’s fluid levels is seen as critical.

The Department of Health said that starting Tuesday, it was conducting a campaign to focus on finding and destroying mosquito breeding sites, which is a primary means of containing dengue. Other government agencies, local government units, schools, offices and communities will join in the effort, it said.

Other Southeast Asian countries have also reported an upsurge in dengue cases this year, according to the U.N.’s World Health Organization. The organization said Malaysia had registered 62,421 cases through June 29, including 93 deaths, compared to 32,425 cases with 53 deaths for the same period last year. Vietnam over the same period had 81,132 cases with four deaths reported, compared to 26,201 cases including six deaths in 2018.

In South Asia, Bangladesh has been facing its worst-ever dengue fever outbreak, putting a severe strain on the country’s already overwhelmed medical system. </s> Manila: The Philippines' Department of Health has declared the country's outbreak of dengue to be a national epidemic.

The agency said Health Secretary Francisco Duque made the declaration to improve the response to the outbreak by allowing local governments to draw on a special Quick Response Fund.

It said the country recorded 146,062 cases of dengue from January through July 20 this year, 98 per cent more than the same period in 2018. It said the outbreak caused 622 deaths.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection found in tropical countries worldwide. It can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting and a rash, and can cause breathing problems. A severe strain can cause haemorrhaging and organ failure. While there is no specific treatment for the illness, medical care to maintain a person's fluid levels is seen as critical. </s> This post was originally published on this site

WORLD NEWS Dengue epidemic declared in Philippines, over 600 dead and nearly 150,000 cases this year https://linewsradio.com/dengue-epidemic-declared-in-philippines-over-600-dead-and-nearly-150000-cases-this-year/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/world-news/rss.xml

LoveSilhouette/iStock(NEW YORK) — A dengue epidemic has been declared in the Philippines in the wake of more than 600 deaths and over 146,000 cases of the disease having been recorded in 2019 alone – a 98 percent increase from the previous year.

Dengue – one of the fastest-spreading mosquito-borne diseases in the world – has increased 30-fold in the past 50 years, according to information from the World Health Organization released in June.

“It is important that a national epidemic be declared in these areas to identify where a localized response is needed, and to enable the local government units to use their Quick Response Fund to address the epidemic situation” said Philippines Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III.

Several other countries in the Western Pacific region such as Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam have been dealing with an increase in dengue cases and deaths this year, according to the WHO.

The Philippines, however — where there have been 622 deaths and 146,062 cases on record — has surpassed those other countries.

According to the most recent data there, there were 10,502 new cases in the week of July 14 to 20, a 71 percent increase from the same week in 2018.

“Starting today, the Department of Health together with other government agencies … schools, offices, and communities will … focus on search and destroy of mosquito breeding sites,” the country’s department of health said in a statement announcing the epidemic. “This is one of the primary interventions to prevent and control dengue.”

The WHO says that it is imperative to act early to save lives.

“There is no specific treatment for dengue but early detection, improved clinical management and access to proper medical care for severe dengue can reduce fatality rates”, the organizations said in a statement.

“WHO is working closely with the Philippines and other countries across the region to address dengue,” said Olivia Law Davies, the organization’s regional communications manager. “WHO doesn’t designate an outbreak as being at a national level.”

It was only at the end last month when Duque, the Philippines’ health secretary, and the Department of Health released a statement sounding hopeful that they could contain the epidemic.

“There is an outpouring of support from our health partners, especially the Philippine Red Cross, other government agencies, and the members of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council. We are extremely grateful for their urgent response … and with our concerted efforts we hope to be able to quell this dengue outbreak.”

Dr. Takeshi Kasai, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, said the biggest concern is the rate of people dying, “especially children.”

“This is a signal that we need to work with countries to strengthen care as well as prevention,” Kasai said.
A national emergency is declared in the Philippines after more than 100,000 people contract dengue fever.