MANILA: The number of dengue cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) from Jan. 1 to June 22 decreased by 16.39 percent, a Department of Health (DOH) official said Tuesday. A total of 6,531 cases were recorded for the first six months of 2024 in the NCR, lower than the 7,811 during the same period last year, DOH Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Cluster medical officer Adorissa Jurao said during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas briefing. Data from the regional epidemiology surveillance unit showed that most cases in the region came from Quezon City with 1,653 or 25.31 percent of the overall tally. About 1,830 or 28.02 percent of the cases belong to the 5 to 9 age group. Seven deaths were reported but the region remains below the alert threshold. Jurao attributed the decrease in reported cases to the coordination of the local government units with the DOH and other health facilities. 'Ang mismong mga lokal na pamahalaan natin ay mayroon na po silang, unti-unti, ownership sa pag-implement ng gani tong programa. May mga clean-up drive po iyan lagi. This time around tina-target na nila 'yung mga breeding sites (Our local government units, slowly, have ownership in implementing these programs and implement clean up drives targeting the breeding sites),' she said. Spraying of insecticides, which are prequalified by the World Health Organization, is also performed based on the clustering of cases, she added. Source: Philippines News Agency