FOLLOWING the declaration of a national dengue epidemic, President Rodrigo Duterte instructed the Department of Health (DOH) to ensure that dengue patients will receive proper care and treatment, MalacaƱang said Thursday, August 8.
"That is the direction. We have to treat the patients because there is an epidemic. If you're sick of dengue, you have to be treated," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo told a press conference.
"The Department of Health is doing its job. They're performing what is to be done. Of course, the cure of a national epidemic is to treat the patients," he added.
There is no cure for dengue fever yet. The most that health care professionals can do is manage the disease and treat the complications.
The DOH on Tuesday, August 6, declared a national dengue epidemic, after it monitored a 98-percent increase in cases to 146,062 from January to July 20, 2019.
At least 622 people have died of the mosquito-borne disease.
Western Visayas has the most number of cases at 23,330, followed by Calabarzon (16,515), Zamboanga Peninsula (12,317), Northern Mindanao (11,455), and Soccsksargen (11,083), based on the DOH Dengue Surveillance Report.
Seven regions have exceeded the epidemic threshold of dengue, including Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Northern Mindanao.
Other regions that have exceeded the alert threshold are Ilocos, Central Visayas, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.
The DOH has already begun interventions to prevent and control dengue, such as the conduct of the vector control program "Sabayang 4 o'clock Habit para Den-Get Out", which focuses on search and destruction of mosquito breeding sites.
Panelo said the DOH also has enough funds to treat patients admitted with dengue.
Earlier, Palace expressed openness to the proposal of making the controversial Dengvaxia vaccines available again, if experts declare it to be effective.
The anti-dengue vaccination program was suspended on December 1, 2017 after Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur revealed findings that those inoculated with the vaccine but haven't contracted the virus yet runs the risk of contracting severe dengue. (SunStar Philippines)