DOH backs goal of zero dengue deaths in 2030
The Department of Health (DOH) backed the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) in its advocacy of a "zero dengue death" by 2030.
At the second Dengue Summit, Herbosa said that lowering the number of deaths related to dengue is possible.
'We can actually lower [the death rate] if we lower the incidence of new cases, kasi mas bababa pa talaga at magagawa natin yung zero [deaths]. (because we really can lower it down and reach zero [deaths].) This calls not only for technical solutions but also for moral clarity in our country,' said Herbosa.
According to DOH, the Philippines recorded 119,000 dengue cases as of May 31, which is a 59% increase from the same period of January to May in 2024. Meanwhile, 470 dengue-related deaths were logged during the same period.
"The statistics are for the paper. But when you're treating one patient, that patient either lives or dies. Behind each number lies a real person, a name, a family, and a future that is lost too soon,' emphasized Herbosa.
Herbosa expressed optimism over new developing methods to prevent dengue, similar to how the Philippines was able to beat the Covid-19 pandemic.
'In a country where much of the illness and deaths reported in our top morbidity and mortality ratings are preventable, we must not allow complacency. We cannot normalize na dengue lang yan. (It's just dengue) We need to actually control it with the knowledge and the science we already know, and padami ng padami pa (and increasing) with new methods in the horizon that can help decrease dengue," said Herbosa.
Herbosa also proposed increased partnership with local government units in promoting prevention through increased purchase of vector-controlled insecticide, adulticide, and larvicide.
He meanwhile, also said that the DOH has already enacted outbreak response protocols, deployed rapid response teams, restocked NS1 test kits and fluids, and launched dengue fast lanes.
He, meanwhile, also said that the DOH has already enacted outbreak response protocols, deployed rapid response teams, restocked NS1 test kits and fluids, and launched dengue fast lanes.
'We will not wait for the next outbreak to take action, and we will never accept that dengue is just another seasonal affliction. We must build a future we envision, one where zero dengue deaths is not a distant hope, but a shared and living reality."—Jiselle Anne Casucian/ VAL, GMA Integrated News
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