Nationally, the Phillipines has seen a significant increase in dengue fever cases in 2015 as the number of cases during the first nine months has exceeded 100,000 and it is 32 percent higher than the period in 2014.
The Ilocos Region, or Region 1 has not been immune as health officials report dengue cases in Region 1 for the past 10 months have climbed to more than 100 percent compared to the same period last year.
The Department of Health’s Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit records showed that dengue patients were at 12,550 cases from January 1 to October 19 compared to only 5,252 cases during the same period last year.
A Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit report showed that the province of La Union posed the highest dengue incidents with 4,280 cases; Pangasinan – 3,636; Ilocos Sur – 2,611; and Ilocos Norte with 2,023 cases.
The number of dengue related fatalities are at 24 to date, up from 8 last year.
Health officials suggest that climate change has made dengue a year-round issue causing the increase in numbers.