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The final dengue fever numbers for 2021 have been released by the Philippines Department of Health and the number of total cases were 12 percent lower than what was reported in 2020.
From Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2021, there was a total of 79,872 dengue cases with 285 deaths (CFR 0.4%) reported. This compares to the 90,135 cases and 324 deaths reported in the same period in 2020.
In 2018, there were a total of 216,190 reported dengue cases and 1,083 deaths, while in 2019, there were 437,563 reported cases and 1,689 deaths.
Officials say said that the drop in dengue cases in 2020 and 2021 is highly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Because of quarantine restrictions and especially the absence of face-to-face classes in schools, there was very little exposure of people, thus transmission of the dengue virus was contained,” noted one health official.
In addition, the implementation of the 4s strategy of the DOH may have attributed- search and destroy mosquito-breeding sites; secure 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 outbreak.
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