AS the country grapples with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), dengue cases have been on a downward trend, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
In a virtual press briefing, Eileen Espiritu of the DOH-Disease Prevention and Control Bureau said dengue cases have been declining the past two years.
“We remain hopeful that the decrease in cases would be continuous,” said Espiritu, adding the decrease in dengue cases can be attributed to better adherence to anti-dengue strategies, particularly in reducing mosquito-breeding sites.
This, she said, was brought about by people staying at their homes due to the imposition of community quarantine restrictions.
Espiritu said there were 437,563 cases and 1,689 deaths due to dengue in 2019, which she said went down by 81 percent to 83,335 cases and 324 deaths for 2020.
For the first three-and-a-half months of 2020, she said there were 49,135 dengue cases and 179 deaths.
During the same period for 2021, she said the numbers further went down by 56 percent to 21,478 cases and 80 deaths.
The DOH had long promoted the 4S strategy against dengue — search and destroy mosquito breeding sites, self-protection, seek early consultation, and support fogging/spraying only in hotspot areas.
