MANILA, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said it has recorded 274 deaths from dengue fever in the last six months as cases spiked.
The ministry said it recorded 65,190 dengue cases from Jan. 1 to July 2 this year, 83 percent higher than a year earlier.
DOH data showed the Central Luzon region recorded the highest number, with 9,448 cases, followed by the Central Visayas region in the central Philippines with 7,771 cases, and the Zamboanga Peninsula in the southern Philippines with 5,798 cases.
The ministry said 13 of the country's 17 regions "have already exceeded the epidemic threshold in the past four weeks from June 5 to July 2."
To prevent more outbreaks of dengue fever, the ministry urged the public to destroy mosquito breeding places in their communities.
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 in some countries.
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. ■