Dengue infection in the country has hit the 118,500 mark from January to August this year, representing 153 percent rise compared to the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the DOH said there were 1,411 leptospirosis cases reported from January 1 to August 6, 2022.
DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire told reporters at least 29,586 dengue cases were recorded from July 10 to August 6 this year.
Vergeire said 64 percent were hospitalized, although this was lower than the admission figure over the past four weeks.
“In the past four weeks, those who were hospitalized were almost 70 percent, now the cases are down,” Vergeire said.
“So we hope the downtrend in cases will continue, and we think with the efforts of our local government, people also are seeking early consultation. This is one of the things we remind the public that if we consult earlier, the complications of dengue can be avoided,” she said.
The DOH said the region with the highest number of cases were Central Luzon with 6,035, followed by the National Capital Region with 4,045, and Western Visayas with 2,946.
The latest DOH data also showed that 399 deaths due to dengue were reported.
“We have been flagging our public for this past few weeks ngayon ang medyo challenge sa ating lahat napupuno ang ating mga hospitals because of non-COVID admissions,” Vergeire said.
“We see patients are admitted for dengue, around 18,000 admissions all over the country. We also see young people getting admitted for diseases associated with the rainy season,” Vergeire said.
The DOH said leptospirosis cases this year rose by 22 percent compared to the same period last year which had 1,157.
The DOH said most of the leptospirosis cases were reported from the NCR with 263 cases, followed by Western Visayas with 171, and Cagayan Valley with 169.
Based on the recent period, the department said at least 251 cases were recorded from July 10 to August 6.
“Regions V, VII, and XI breached the alert and epidemic threshold within the past four morbidity weeks. However, no clustering was noted nationwide,” the DOH said in a statement.
Meanwhile, there were 188 deaths reported due to leptospirosis.
“Our reminder this rainy season is if you can avoid walking in the flood, don’t. If it’s really necessary, wear boots. If there are no boots, put plastic on your feet and when you get home, wash your feet immediately,” Vergeire said.
