MANILA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' Department of Health on Friday said that it tallied 76,425 dengue cases nationwide from January to March 15 this year, with a 78 percent increase year-on-year.
The department said in a statement that the case fatality rate this year remained lower than last year, but the agency did not provide the dengue deaths figure.
Based on recent data, Metro Manila and two other regions near the Philippine capital have a high count of dengue cases.
The data also showed that most of the patients are aged 14 and below.
Dengue, a viral disease spread by mosquitoes, is endemic in the Philippines. Symptoms include headache, body aches, and fever, with severe cases sometimes resulting in death. ■