The Department of Health (DOH) urges parents to immediately bring their children to the hospital if they suffer symptoms of dengue and their area of residence has multiple cases of the said disease.
DOH Sec. Francisco Duque III made the call after several areas observed a spike in dengue cases.
The DOH chief mentioned on Friday, June 10, that the symptoms of the mosquito-borne disease include fever, headache, and muscle, bone, or joint pains.
"Seek early consultation. Alam ninyo ang kinamamatay ng dengue patient ay yung huli yung pagdala sa ospital. Yung talagang naghihingalo na," Duque said during DZRH's Damdaming Bayan.
"Kapag lumalala iyan, mahirap mo na iyan magamot. Iyan ang dahilan na pumapanaw ang mga pasyente, lalo na mga bata. Kaawa-awa naman at preventable ito," he added.
Duque revealed that the DOH has recorded 42 fatalities, mostly children, due to dengue.
From January 1 to May 21, the DOH has logged 34,938 dengue cases, a 23 percent increase from cases reported during the same period in 2021 across the Philippines.