Philippines dengue epidemic up to 370K cases, Indonesia cases up ‘drastically’

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews

The Philippines

It has been a record season for dengue fever in the Philippines in 2019. Between 1 January and 19 October 2019, 371,717 dengue cases including 1,407 deaths were reported through the DOH routine surveillance system, with a CFR of 0.38%.

This is up from 180,072 cases and 927 deaths reported during the same period in 2018, a 106 percent increase.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, children aged 5-9 years have consistently been the most affected age group among dengue cases (23%) and deaths (38%).

Poverty, geographical remoteness, malnutrition and poor hygiene and sanitation are all contributing factors to the high mortality rate.

Health officials in the Philippines declared a National Dengue Epidemic on August 6.

Malaysia dengue update, Selangor urged to draft a long-term blueprint to combat dengue

Indonesia

During the first 10 months of 2019, Indonesian health officials have reported 110,921 cases of dengue fever.

“The figure increased drastically as compared to 2018 when the country witnessed 65,602 dengue fever cases,” Director of Vector and Zoonotic Communicable Disease Prevention and Control of the Health Ministry Siti Nadia Tarmizi stated.

Overall, the dengue fever cases were mostly found in Java and Bali, with 61,071 cases; and Sumatra, with 21,896 cases.

Dengue fever mostly affected children in the age group of between five and 17, representing 43.25 percent of the total cases.

Dengue outbreak: ‘Probably the worst we’ve had since 2010’ says CDC epidemiologist

Indonesia: African swine fever reported in North Sumatra, according to media report

Philippines reports 3rd polio case, this one in Maguindanao province

Thailand: 4 Important Infectious Diseases in 2019