By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

In an update on the dengue fever epidemic in the Philippines this year, health officials reported an additional 13,327 cases and 40 deaths during the week ending August 17.

philippines
Image by David Peterson from Pixabay

This brings the outbreak total since the beginning of the year to 229,736 dengue cases, including 958 deaths with a 0.42% case fatality rate.

This is also a 107 percent increase compared to the same period in 2018 (110,970).

The Western Visayas region reported the most cases with 39,892/ 179 deaths, followed by Calabarzon (30,899/98) and Northern Mindanao (17,674/67).

A National Dengue Epidemic was declared on August 6, 2019.

With a median age of 12 years, the most affected age group among dengue cases is 5-9 years (23%). Similarly, the most affected age group among dengue deaths is 5-9 years (40%).

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The overall risk at the national level continues to be high in view of the large number of cases and high mortality. With the rainy season intensifying, there is increased risk of more breeding sites for vector proliferation.


Dengue is a disease caused by a virus spread through mosquito bites. The disease can take up to 2 weeks to develop with illness generally lasting less than a week.

Health effects from dengue include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, rash, muscle and joint pain, and minor bleeding.

Dengue can become severe within a few hours. Severe dengue is a medical emergency, usually requiring hospitalization.

In severe cases, health effects can include hemorrhage (uncontrolled bleeding), shock (seriously low blood pressure), organ failure, and death. Severe dengue is an emergency requiring immediate medical attention.