The Department of Health (DoH) said Wednesday that dengue cases in the country are on the rise.

"Our Epidemiology Bureau has actually noted an increase in cases of dengue. It's really the season of dengue," DoH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said in a chance interview with reporters on the sidelines of the Conference on Philippine-Pacific Partnership on Sustainable Health Workforce for Health Security in Makati.

Herbosa noted an 81 percent increase in dengue cases this year.

"So we just matched the curve of this year—September, October, November—with last year's, and it's 81 percent higher compared to last year," the Health chief explained.

Herbosa reminded local chief executives to initiate clean-up programs in places where mosquitoes could breed.

"Pinakamportante talaga yung (What's most important is) cleanliness, sanitation in places where they live," he added.

He also urged parents to cover the skin of their children with proper clothing, such as long sleeves, and use insect repellent.

About 340,860 cases of dengue were recorded from the beginning of the year 2024 to 16 November 2024, the latest data from the DoH shows.

Respiratory illnesses

As colder weather begins with the "Amihan" season or Northeast Monsoon, Herbosa said the Health department is also on the lookout for a possible rise in respiratory illness cases, such as acute respiratory infection and Covid-19.

"Kasi pag nagkakaroon ng ulan, nakasarado ang bintana, nasa loob, kulob (Because when it rains, we close the window, we're all inside)... One person coughing, hawa-hawa na tayo (we can pass around the virus) [and] Covid is still around," Herbosa said.

The latest data from the DoH show that there are a total of 117,372 cases of influenza-like illness since 1 January.

"Pangalawa (Secondly) is waterborne-related illnesses, yung pagtatae (diarrhea). Why is it common? Kasi (Because) some of our water sources are.,. deep well. Sometimes, yung (thea) toilet contaminates the groundwater," he furthered.

To avoid waterborne illnesses, Herbosa recommended boiling water, especially those for consumption.