The Philippines has reported a surge in dengue fever over the past month or two and the mountain resort city of Baguio has been hit unusually hard with the mosquito borne viral disease since September, according to the government news agency.

Public domain image/https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:04_16_2006_Mines_View_Park_Baguio_City_(3).jpg
Public domain image/wikimedia commons

Baguio HSO City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit Head, Dr. Donnabel Tubera,  disclosed that from September 1 to October 5,  283 dengue cases were recorded in Baguio City,nearly a ten-fold increase compared to the 30 cases recorded during the same period last year.

The surge of cases in Baguio has prompted local health officials to call for a community action against dengue.

The increase in dengue at this point in the year is unexpected as cases typically start to decrease. However, as Tubera notes, the occasional rain and warm weather brought by El Niño are possibly affecting the proliferation of the dengue vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Nationally, as of September 19 this year, a total of 92,807 dengue cases were reported nationwide. This figure is 23.5% higher compared to the same period last year (75,117). A total of 269 deaths (0.3%) were reported this year.

Robert Herriman is a microbiologist and the Editor-in-Chief of Outbreak News Today and the Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch

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