THE water crisis in the country may cause a surge in dengue cases, which has doubled compared to figures last year, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
“The usual cause (of dengue cases rising) will be the water shortage. Because there is lack in water supply, people store water in containers, pales, and basins that are not being covered,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said yesterday.
“These dengue-carrying mosquitoes like to breed in clean and stagnant water,” she said.
Last month, President Marcos Jr. declared the Philippines is experiencing a water crisis. He said the crisis may require the public to “once in a while pull out buckets and fill bathtubs with water.”
Based on data from the DOH, 27,670 dengue cases have been recorded from January 1 to March 18 this year. This is 94 percent higher compared to the 14,278 dengue cases reported during the same period last year.
To prevent dengue cases from surging, Vergeire said, the public must make sure that their water containers are properly covered “to avoid mosquitoes from multiplying in our households.”
She also said households must regularly clean their surroundings to avoid attracting mosquitoes.
“Mosquitoes like to stay in dirty, dark, and small places. Thus, we all need to clean our surroundings so we can remove the garbage and useless stuff that attract mosquitoes,” she said.
