Philippine Dengue upsurge:21 Dead 1,400+ cases in one Week

The news is something most people might take in as part of the normal season bursts of information about dengue until the tally becomes clear. There is a large number of people infected perhaps beyond official figures who choose not or cannot afford to go to the hospitals or doctors primarily in poor urban communities so these figures could be much higher than official ones.

It is not because anyone is deliberately trying to downplay this - it is because some people do not know what dengue is as to most people it seems like a normal high fever. I know of one case of in a high end subdivision near Ortgas center - not far from Wac-Wac golf and country club where in a home five cases came suddenly - and was thought to be only caused by season flu’s.

Dengue can be treated at home - but is best treated with medical attention and diagnosis - hospitalization is the only way the highest lecels of infection or when the deasase is at a critical level.

[]”….”Dengue cases up 1,447 in a week in Philippines People’s Daily Online, China -The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday reported 1,447 new dengue cases and 21 related deaths a week after it sounded the alarm on the disease’s. …”[]

On the news Mike Enriquez is reading a report about a group of shops near a pair of schools the shops small sidewalk stalls were demolished- the center of controversy - the vendors items being confiscated by the MMDA. The demolition was based on reports the stalls were the source of Dengue mosquito’s. Understandably the situation became tense the stall owners defending their livelihood - the Government needing to clean up a source of the decease. Rightfully so - GMA7 led with te story on the newscast - Political issues can wait when a killer is on the loose like this. Whats needed is more information - no wonder they’re number one.

The Country’s tourism programs also face a major risk to the situation unless massive efforts are taken some countries may issue advisories on the destination some travel agencies and services have already raised alarms:

[] …” [3 dengue fever cases, infected during a group tour to the …

There have been reports of Japanese travelers who visited dengue endemic countries, … Philippines Travel* Substances Antibodies, Viral Immunoglobulin M … www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12508479&dopt=Abstract

Travel Health Service Year 2006Philippines: Dengue fever. City health officer in Zamboanga City disclosed that there were a total of 125 Dengue fever cases registered, with 2 deaths …
www.travelhealth.gov.hk/english/outbreaknews/2006/ond04june2006.html - 28k “….[]

Reports in the past few days show the extent of the problem:

Rains bring out squadron of airborne killers Manila Times, Philippines - Sep 10, 2006 … the Philippines brings with it a variety of mosquito-borne diseases that pose a serious threat to the health of all Filipinos. One of these diseases is dengue …

Being clean is dengue deterrent Manila Times, Philippines - Sep 10, 2006 … to Dr. Lyndon Leesuy from the Infectious Diseases section of the Department of Health, there were a total of 16,162 dengue cases in the Philippines in 2002. …

Philippine health department raises alert against dengue fever Monsters and Critics.com, UK - Sep 10, 2006 … can be checked at once.’. Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease that is endemic to the Philippines. Its symptoms are high fever that …

Philippine Health Department Raises Alert Against Dengue Fever Playfuls.com, Romania - Sep 10, 2006 … can be checked at once.”. Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease that is endemic to the Philippines. Its symptoms are high fever that …

Philippine health department raises alert against dengue fever Raw Story, MA - Sep 9, 2006 … can be checked at once.”. Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease that is endemic to the Philippines. Its symptoms are high fever that …

Fogging operations worsen dengue spread: Philippine authority People’s Daily Online, China - Sep 7, 2006 The Philippines‘ health authority warned on Friday that fogging operations against mosquitoes carrying dengue virus should be stopped, because the method could …

Overall the dengue problem is something that is growing concern in particular because of the overall impact and spread of the disease is highest in the capital. It raises serious concerns about public cleanliness and effective basic services needed in a mega city like Manila :

Dengue/dengue haemorrhagic fever

- Impact of Dengue
- DengueNet
- Dengue activities
- Information resources

Dengue is the most common mosquito-borne viral disease of humans that in recent years has become a major international public health concern. Globally, 2.5 billion people live in areas where dengue viruses can be transmitted. The geographical spread of both the mosquito vectors and the viruses has led to the global resurgence of epidemic dengue fever and emergence of dengue hemorrhagic fever (dengue/DHF) in the past 25 years with the development of hyperendemicity in many urban centers of the tropics.

Transmitted by the main vector, the Aedes aegytpi mosquito, there are four distinct, but closely related, viruses that cause dengue. Recovery from infection by one provides lifelong immunity against that serotype but confers only partial and transient protection against subsequent infection by the other three. There is good evidence that sequential infection increases the risk of more serious disease resulting in DHF.

DHF was first recognized in the 1950s during the dengue epidemics in the Philippines and Thailand. By 1970 nine countries had experienced epidemic DHF and now, the number has increased more than fourfold and continues to rise. Today emerging DHF cases are causing increased dengue epidemics in the Americas, and in Asia, where all four dengue viruses are endemic, DHF has become a leading cause of hospitalization and death among children in several countries.

Currently vector control is the available method for the dengue and DHF prevention and control but research on dengue vaccines for public health use is in process. The global strategy for dengue /DHF prevention and control developed by WHO and the regional strategy formulation in the Americas, South-East Asia and the Western Pacific during the 1990s have facilitated identification of the main priorities: strengthening epidemiological surveillance through the implementation of DengueNet; accelerated training and the adoption of WHO standard clinical management guidelines for DHF; promoting behavioral change at individual, household and community levels to improve prevention and control; and accelerating research on vaccine development, host-pathogen interactions, and development of tools/interventions by including dengue in the disease portfolio of TDR (UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases) and IVR (WHO Initiative for Vaccine Research).

FOR MORE INFORMATION

- WHO fact sheet
- Disease Outbreak News: dengue fever
- Disease Outbreak News: dengue haemorrhagic fever
- International travel and health: dengue