What Exactly is Dengue?

September 14, 2019

By: Adrian Macapugay

Ethan Sabacan

Audrey Sotto

Six months. Six months is all it took to cause the suffering, and even death, of very many Filipinos due to dengue. More than one hundred forty-six thousand adults and children have been reported to have suffered the dengue virus. Approximately seventy-five million pesos spent by the government to lessen and solve the rising number of dengue cases. All these adversities, but the question is, do we, Filipinos, have enough knowledge and information on dengue? Do we have the capability to prevent the said virus?

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Dengue fever, also known as breakbone fever, is a mosquito-borne virus with the aedes mosquitoe as its main vector. The said virus is passed on to humans through the infective bite of a female Aedes mosquito. The female aedes mosquito acquires the virus by sucking on the blood of an infected human. These mosquitoes thrive and survive in environments with low hygiene, specifically in areas with unclean stagnant water, low air flow, and minimal lighting. These types of harsh environments attract these deadly vectors.

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According to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, there have been as many as 106630 reported dengue cases from January to June 2019 alone, an 85% increase compared to the same time period last year. In response to the increasing issue, the Department of Health (DOH) declared a national dengue alert on July 15, 2019. However, several regions of the Philippines have already passed the alert threshold, namely Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and Cordillera Administrative Region. With the increasing epidemic at hand, Filipinos should become more aware about the severity of the dengue virus and how to avoid contracting said virus.