The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said it observed a 68 percent increase in dengue cases across the country.

In a media forum, DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa said there are currently 208,000 dengue cases in the country, 68 percent higher than the same period last year.

Herbosa said dengue cases are on an upward trend and have increased to 25 percent in the past three to four weeks.

“Alam niyo naman pag pumasok ang Ber months talagang dumadami ang lamok (We know that during Ber months, the number of mosquitoes increases),” he noted.

Central Luzon, Western Visayas, and Central Visayas observed over 40 percent rise in dengue cases.

“Sa [National Capital Region] (NCR) tumataas din po pero hindi kasing taas ng tatlong regions na ito (We also see an increase in NCR but not as much as these three regions),” he continued.

“Itong tatlong rehiyon na ito ang may nag-report ng state of calamity dahil napuno ang kanilang ospital dahil sa dengue (Some areas in these three regions have declared state of calamity because their hospitals have been overwhelmed by dengue patients),” he added.

Fatality rate, meanwhile, remains low at 0.26 percent.

“Ibig sabihin nun naaagapan natin sila, nagagamot natin sila kaya hindi na sila nagse-serious (It means we’re treating them early so they are not progressing into serious stages),” Herbosa noted.

Key preventions against dengue, according to Herbosa, include vector control and cleaning surroundings to prevent mosquito infestation.