By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

In a follow-up on the dengue epidemic in the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) is now reporting 249,332 dengue cases through Aug. 24, more than double the cases reported during the same period last year.

Aedes aegypti/CDC

In addition, the death toll is now 1,021, nearly double the 622 deaths recorded in the same period in 2018.

On Aug. 6, the Philippines declared the country’s outbreak of dengue to be a national epidemic.

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Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection causing a severe flu-like illness and, sometimes causing a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue. Approximately, half of the world’s population is at risk and it affects infants, young children and adults. The incidence of dengue has increased 30-fold over the last 50 years. Up to 50-100 million infections are now estimated to occur annually in over 100 endemic countries, putting almost half of the world’s population at risk.

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