Don't hesitate to go to hospital if with symptoms amid rise in dengue cases —expert

As dengue cases rise, an infectious disease expert on Sunday reminded the public not to hesitate to go to the hospital if they are experiencing symptoms.

"'Pag ang lagnat ng isang tao, especially mga bata, tumatagal ng three days, dalhin niyo na sa ospital," Dr. Rontgene Solante of San Lazaro Hospital in Manila said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(If the fever of a person, especially a child, lasts for three days, bring the person to the hospital.)

"Mas maigi na nandoon sa ospital, pila ka, makita ka ng doktor... Ang key diyan ay third day. 'Pag third day, may lagnat pa, dalhin na sa ospital," he added.

(It would be better if you are in a hospital, you wait for your turn to see a doctor... The key there is third day. If on the third day, there is still fever, go to the hospital.)

Solante said hospitals can do complete blood count (CBC) and monitor a patient's hematocrit level and platelet count.

"Kung pababa na ang platelet, pataas ang hematocrit, 'yun 'yung isa sa mga warning signs [ng dengue]. Hindi na talaga papauwiin 'yan, ina-admit na 'yan," he added.

(If the platelet count is going down and the hematocrit level is going up, that is one of the warning signs. The patient will then be advised admission.)

"Lahat ng mga ospital may capability to accommodate all dengue cases," Solante said.

(All hospitals have the capability to accommodate all dengue cases.)

On Saturday, the Quezon City local government announced there is a dengue outbreak in the city amid a steep rise in cases and at least 10 deaths due to the virus this year.

Solante however said dengue cases are also rising in other areas.

"Hindi lang ito sa Quezon City. Kung titingnan mo ang trending sa mga iba't ibang probinsiya, mga highly urbanized area — Baguio, Palawan, Cebu City — December, January, meron talaga tayong nakikitaan na tumataas ang mga kaso," he said.

(It's not just in Quezon City. If you will see the trend in many provinces and highly urbanized areas like Baguio, Palawan, Cebu City, dengue cases were rising in December and January.)

San Lazaro Hospital has also seen a steady stream of dengue patients.

"Since November, December and then 'yung pagpasok ng January and then hanggang ngayon, hindi kami naze-zero sa mga admission sa San Lazaro Hospital sa dengue," Solante said.

(Since November, December, and then as January rolled in and until now, we have not had zero admission for dengue at San Lazaro Hospital.)

"In fact, may mga nasawi rin na adults," he added, saying there are more adult dengue patients now than in previous years at the hospital.

(In fact, there were some adult patients who died.)

Children however are more vulnerable, Solante said.

"Majority, mga bata pa rin ang vulnerable nito dahil wala pa silang antibody. Hindi pa sila na-expose before sa ganitong klaseng kaso," he added.

(Children are still more vulnerable because they do not have antibodies yet. They were not yet exposed before to this kind of cases.)

However, adults should not be complacent, even those who have had dengue before, as the possibility of contracting dengue infection is still there.

"May apat na serotype ang dengue. There's always a possibility na apat na beses tayong magka-dengue," the infectious disease expert said.

(There are four serotypes of dengue. There's always a possibility that a person can have dengue four times.)

Mosquito behavior

Solante said the behavior of the Aedes aegypti mosquito has changed due to climate change and other factors.

"So 'yung behavior no, because of climate change, 'yung mga lamok, iba na ang behavior nila," he said.

(The mosquitoes have changed their behavior due to climate change.)

The population's vulnerability to contract dengue also increased, he added.

"Maraming basura, maraming tao so nag-increase ang vulnerability ng population," Solante said.

(More trash, more people, so the population's vulnerability [to dengue infection] increased.)

"Ang bite vulnerability, madali tayong makagat. Madali tayong ma-expose," he said.

(We are more vulnerable to bites. We can be exposed more easily.)

Dengue symptoms

Solante advised the public to be aware of the symptoms of dengue infection.

These include fever, headache, body pains, vomiting, and stomach ache, among others, he said.

"Hindi na kumakain, uncomfortable na, palagi na lang tulog, masakit ang tiyan, grabe ang sakit ng ulo, matamlay," Solante added.

(A person may not want to eat, is uncomfortable, is always sleeping, has stomach ache, experiences intense headache, and is sluggish.)

The skin rashes show up on the sixth or seventh day of dengue infection in majority of the cases, he said.

Solante also said there are three phases of dengue infection.

The first is the febrile phase which lasts one to three or four days.

This is followed by the critical phase which may run from the fourth to sixth day. "Humupa ang lagnat, bumababa ang platelet, doon na ang bleeding (The fever may have subsided, platelet count goes down, and there may be bleeding)," Solante said.

Then comes the recovery phase on the seventh to 10th day of infection. "Aakyat kusa ang platelets, maganda na ang pakiramdam, lalabas na ang rashes (Platelet count will go up, a person may feel better, and rashes will come out)," Solante said.

Deaths, cases

Data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed that 21 people have reportedly died due to dengue in the first half of January 2025.

The DOH said that from January 1 to 18, 2025, there were 10,842 dengue cases recorded in the country. —KG, GMA Integrated News