MANILA, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' health department said Monday that deaths from dengue fever have climbed to 642 this year as the mosquito-borne disease cases rose by 191 percent from the same period last year.
The Department of Health has tallied 196,728 cases from Jan. 1 to Nov. 5. The data showed that most cases broke out in the main Luzon island, including Metro Manila and its neighboring areas.
In the same period last year, the DOH only recorded 67,537 cases and 247 deaths.
Dengue is endemic in the Philippines. The water-borne infectious diseases, including dengue, usually peak at the start of the rainy season from July to October due to fluctuating weather conditions, flooding, and accumulation of contaminated water. Dengue mosquitos breed in stagnant water like water-filled containers and some plants including bananas.
In severe cases, dengue can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting, rashes, breathing problems, hemorrhaging and organ failure.
The Philippines declared a "national dengue epidemic" in August 2019 due to an increasing number of people who died from the disease in the Southeast Asian country. ■
