As the local government of Quezon City continues to grapple with the dengue outbreak, an Epidemiology and Surveillance Division (ESD) official said the increase in the number of cases is due to early detection.

Based on the data from the Quezon City government as of Feb.18,  a total of 2,021 cases of dengue had been logged, including 11 deaths, since January 2025.

QCESD Statistician Wilson Villaganes Jr. said this translates to a 209 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024.

“We are still observing an increasing trend in dengue cases and still above the outbreak level,” Villaganes said in an interview.

While this number continues to grow, the QCESD sees it as part of the city’s measures in surveillance, which may have led to better detection of cases.

“This could be due to improvements in surveillance, which have led to better detection of cases,” he said.

“Additionally, increased public awareness may have contributed to more people seeking care and getting tested, which is good,” he added.

Read more: QC LGU urges residents with dengue symptoms to seek immediate medical attention

Data from the QCESD revealed there are several areas where dengue remains prevalent - two of them have been raised to Epidemic Level; some remained or downgraded to Alert Level; and some below the Alert Level.

These systems are activated depending on the status of a particular area in Quezon City.

“For Alert Level, we compare the current year’s data of barangay with the average of the past five years,” Villaganes explained.

He noted that epidemic years are not included in the data as these are considered “outliers.”

For Epidemic Level, this is only announced if the number of dengue cases is unusually high compared to data recorded in the previous year.

Fifty-seven dengue clusters were found in 31 Barangays on Morbidity Week (MW) 7, partial data from the city government revealed.

MW is the week count since the beginning of the year.

On an average of seven days a week, District 2 recorded the highest case distribution across six districts, followed by District 4, and Districts 6, 3, 5, and 1.

The QC government has implemented preventive measures across the city to combat dengue  such as extensive chemical spraying and fogging.

Read more: Mayor Joy orders extensive anti-dengue spraying in 142 barangays

“The Quezon City Epidemiology and Surveillance Division (QCESD) supports science-based approaches in addressing public health challenges,” Villaganes said in reaction to plans of Barangay Matandang Balara to deploy frogs to kill dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

“While creative solutions can be well-intentioned, we emphasize that strategies backed by scientific evidence and proven to be effective are the most reliable way to combat dengue such as the 5s Strategy,” he added.

Read more: QC barangay eyes use of frogs to 'catch and swallow' dengue-carrying mosquitoes