A total of 195 deaths have been recorded caused by dengue in the Philippines from January to Aug. 2, Xinhua quoted the country's health agency as saying today. Over the past months, around 19,658 dengue cases were recorded, compared to 22,028 in the same period of last year, said Eric Tayag, chief of the Philippine National Epidemiology Center. Among the 195 fatalities, 37 died in the country's capital of Metro Manila. Tayag said that in Metro Manila, there was a 3,346 increase of dengue cases, from last year's 2,432 in the period. Tayag added that his agency is now readying for a possible surge of dengue incidents with the rainy season expected to peak in September and October. The health agency will closely monitor those flood-prone areas that are vulnerable to the water-borne disease, he added.
