The Bacolod City Health Office (CHO) is working to sustain the lower dengue cases recorded last year, urging Bacolodnons not to be complacent despite the 60 percent decrease in cases.
Dr. Grace Tan, head of the CHO Environment Sanitation Division, said yesterday that after Bacolod experienced dengue surges in the previous years, the city should do its best to keep it from happening again.
“While reported dengue cases in 2025 are significantly lower than last year’s, that doesn’t mean we should be complacent and assume that it is no longer a problem,” she added.
Data from the CHO Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit showed that in 2025, Bacolod recorded 1,040 cases, registering a drop of 60.4 percent from 2,624 cases in 2024.
“In many other parts of the country, dengue continues to pose a considerable public health challenge, and we need to do our part in preventing the spread of the disease,” Tan said.
On Wednesday, January 28, the CHO joined a media roundtable held at the Bacolod City College campus that tackled the nationwide advocacy against dengue together with the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS), and Takeda Healthcare Philippines.
Both Dr. Rachelle Vicencio and Dr. Alexis Milan of the PPS warned the public against unverified dengue remedies circulating online, particularly on the use of “tawa-tawa” or “gatas-gatas” as herbal treatments.
“There is no current scientific evidence to support their effectiveness,” they added.
They also discussed the future of dengue control through vaccination, highlighting the potential benefits of TAK-003, an innovative, second-generation vaccine that has shown to provide long-term protection against the disease.
TAK-003, developed by the Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda, has demonstrated efficacy and safety against dengue in the pivotal Phase 3 Tetravalent Immunization against Dengue Efficacy Study trial.
In the Philippines, the license application for TAK-003 is under review with the Food and Drug Administration. (PNA)