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Philippine health officials have advised the public to take precautionary measures to avoid contracting dengue saying it was going to be a “big dengue year” this year, which is turning out to be true.

Image/DOH

From Jan.1 to Mar. 30, 55,976 cumulative cases with 227 deaths have been reported. This compares with 31,247 cases with 168 deaths reported during the same period last year.

And it’s only going to get worse. Health Undersecretary Enrique Domingo said recently that the cases are expected to rise in June which is the start of the rainy season.

The Central Visayas continue to record the most cases of any region nationally. The Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) has recorded a total of 6,097 dengue cases from January 1 to March 30 this year, with 37 deaths.

This is 245 percent higher compared to the 1,768 cases and 12 deaths in the same period of last year.

Cebu City currently has 741 cases with eight deaths, followed by Lapu-Lapu City with 496 cases, Mandaue City with 311, Dumaguete City with 214, and Danao City with 167.

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The DOH urged the public to practice the 4-S strategy in their households –search and destroy mosquito-breeding sites; self-protection measures like wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts and daily use of mosquito repellent; seek early consultation; and support fogging or spraying only in hotspot areas where increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent an impending outbreak.

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