Upsurge of dengue worries Philippine health officials

Aug 20, 2011, 7:01 GMT

Manila - Health officials on Saturday expressed concern over an upsurge of dengue cases in the Philippine capital that has killed 70 people in the first eight months of the year.

The department of health said dengue cases in Metropolitan Manila from January 1 to August 6 rose to 10,487 compared to 5,416 cases for the same period last year.

Ed Janairo, chief of the health department in Metropolitan Manila, said his office had identified at 33 hotspots in the capital where the reported number of dengue cases have reached alarming level.

'We are on emergency mode,' he said. 'Starting on Monday, we'll be starting a massive clean-up drive and fumigation.'

Dengue is a mosquito-borne illness with symptoms including high fever that could last between two to 10 days accompanied by headache, loss of appetite, red skin rashes and abdominal pains. The disease is common in the Philippines.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona said the number of cases recorded nationwide from January 1 to August 6 declined by 33.5 per cent to 45,333 from 68,168. The total number of deaths nationwide due to the disease stood at 267.