DROP IN DENGUE CASES. Niel Nituda of the Department of Health in the Caraga Region emphasized the continuing implementation of the National Aedes-borne Viral Disease Prevention and Control Program to control dengue-carrying mosquitoes during a press briefing in Butuan City on Wednesday (June 17, 2026). The DOH-13 also reported a 74 percent decrease in dengue cases in the region during the first half of 2026, down from 4,127 last year to 1,081. (PNA photo by Alexander Lopez)
BUTUAN CITY – The number of dengue cases in the Caraga Region decreased significantly during the first half of 2026, according to data from the Department of Health’s regional office (DOH-13).
A total of 1,081 cases were reported in the region during the period, which is 74 percent lower compared to the 4,127 cases logged last year.
During the first six months of this year, the case fatality rate in the region was also recorded at 0.74 percent.
In a media briefing on Wednesday, Niel Nituda, Entomologist III of DOH-13, emphasized the importance of implementing various strategies to control mosquitoes, which helped reduce dengue cases in the region.
“The agency has been working with the local government units and the communities in implementing these measures effectively,” Nituda said.
The strategies, he added, are indicated in the National Dengue Prevention and Control Program, which was expanded into the National Aedes-borne Viral Disease Prevention and Control Program (NAVDPCP).
“The NAVDPCP aims to reduce the dengue morbidity rate by 25 percent and fatality rate at lower than one percent, and reduce it annually by 0.1 percent,” Nituda said.
Among the provinces in the region, 206 cases were recorded in Agusan del Sur in the first half of this year, 48 in Agusan del Norte, 209 in Surigao del Sur, 178 in Surigao del Norte and 61 in Dinagat Islands.
In the same period, 54 dengue cases were also recorded in Bayugan City, 29 in Bislig City, 92 in Butuan City, 44 in Cabadbaran City, 72 in Surigao City and 88 in Tandag City. (PNA)
