DOH exec allays concerns on rising dengue cases

Hospitals have sufficient bed capacity to manage dengue patients amid the rising number of cases in the country, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said.

"Sa ngayon, wala kaming nakukuhang report na ang ating mga kama sa hospital ay nagkukulang para i-manage yung ating mga kaso ng dengue (Right now, we are not getting any reports that our hospital beds are insufficient in managing our dengue cases)," said DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Dr. Alethea De Guzman on Thursday, Aug. 4.

Based on the recent DOH data, a total of 82,597 dengue cases were already recorded from Jan. 1 to July 16. This figure is 106 percent higher compared to the cases reported during the same period in 2021.

The majority of the dengue cases were recorded in Central Luzon with 13,449. It was followed by Central Visayas with 8,905 cases, and the National Capital Region with 6,884.

De Guzman said that hospitals were also instructed to put up dengue fast lanes to cater the needs of these patients.

"Bago pa nagsimula na tumaas ang mga kaso, ang ating mga paalala sa hospital ay kailangan pag nakakita sila ng unti-unti o yung pagtaas ng admissions, i-activate na yung fast lanes (Before the cases started to rise, we reminded the hospital that when they observe a gradual or increase in admissions, they should activate fast lanes)," said De Guzman.

Health facilities were also instructed to ensure adequate supply of medicines needed for the treatment of dengue patients, said De Guzman.

Meanwhile, De Guzman said that the public may also call the telemedicine hotlines if they are experiencing symptoms of dengue.

“Whether by you going physically to the hospital or a clinic or accessing our telemedicine services para malaman mo, ang sakit ko ba ay dengue (so you can determine if you have dengue),” she said.

Dengue is transmitted through a bite of dengue-infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, the DOH said.

Its symptoms include sudden onset of fever of two to seven days, plus two of the following: headache, body weakness, joint and muscle pains, pain behind the eyes, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and skin rashes, the DOH said.