UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES

Senior High School Department

School Year 2022-2023

A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF DENGUE OUTBREAK IN THE PHILIPPINES

PRINCESS MARIA VICTORIA B. PALAYA

University of Nueva Caceres - SHS Department
J. Hernandez Avenue, Naga City
princessmariavictoria.palaya@unc.edu.ph

INTRODUCTION
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dengue is a mosquito-borne viral
disease that has rapidly spread to all regions of WHO in recent years. In other words, it is
a viral infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Dengue
Virus or DENV is the virus responsible for causing dengue. This virus can be found in
tropical and subtropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas.

As mentioned above, the bites of infected Aedes species mosquitoes (Ae. aegypti or Ae.
albopictus) spreads to people the dengue virus. They lay eggs near standing water in
containers that hold water, like buckets, bowls, animal dishes, flower pots, and vases.
They don't only spread dengue virus but also Zika and Chikungunya viruses.

The word “dengue” is derived from the Swahili phrase Ka-dinga pepo, meaning
“cramp-like seizure”. The term “denga”, or “dyenga,” had also been used to designate the
disease during outbreaks in East Africa and West Indies during the early 19th century. It
was only after the 1828 outbreak in Cuba that the Spanish word “dengue” came into
general use, which continues to this day.

Based on what I have researched, dengue fever was first referred to as “water poison”
associated with flying insects in a Chinese medical encyclopedia in 992 from the Jin
Dynasty (265-420 AD). In the year 1906, Thomas Lane Bancroft suggested that the
mosquito vector Aedes Aegypti transmite dengue, and the following year in 1907,
Ashburn and Craig proved that dengue was caused by a virus.
 As stated by Scitable, In 1943, Ren Kimura and Susumu Hotta first isolated the dengue
virus. These two scientists were studying blood samples of patients taken during the
1943 dengue epidemic in Nagasaki, Japan. A year later, Albert B. Sabin and Walter
Schlesinger independently isolated the dengue virus. Both pairs of scientists had isolated
the virus now referred to as dengue virus 1 (DEN-1).

There are a lot of alternative remedies for dengue that have been found. In the
Philippines, one of the most known or used alternative remedies for dengue is the juice
of Euphorbia hirta or Asthma-plant, also known as the "tawa-tawa". After collecting a
bunch of the said plant, wash it and boil it in boiling water. Remove the plant and drink
its juice. "Tawa-tawa" is not only used by dengue patients for the reason that it doesn't
only cure dengue disease but also the other diseases such as dysentery, jaundice,
gonorrhea, pimples, tumors, digestive problems, childhood infections, and etc.

Philippine folkloric medicine also cites the use of papaya leaf extract usually boiled as
a tea and drank continuously as a cure against dengue. Many people attest to this cure, at
least in the Philippines and other Asian countries. The results for the two alternative
remedies were an increase in platelet count, decreased blood clotting time, and reduced
bleeding time.

Hence, the purpose of this review is to gather datas about the dengue outbreak in the
Philippines and is expected to answer the following questions: 1) What are the factors
that contribute to dengue transmission? 2) What are the possible preventive measures
against dengue outbreak in the Philippines? 3) What are the alternative or home
remedies for dengue and its difference from synthetic drugs?

METHODS
Several criteria were followed to ensure a better and high quality review of the
literature on dengue dengue outbreak in the Philippines. First, articles must be from a
reliable or trustworthy source. Second, the articles must be up-to-date and was not
created five to ten years ago. Third, articles must include the topic about dengue disease.
Research articles that are not included in the research contains the opposite criteria
mentioned above.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

1. What are the factors that contribute to dengue transmission?
According to the results I have gathered after collecting some articles, the main
factors that contribute to dengue transmission is through the bites of infected
mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus to be exact. The mosquito
transfers the dengue virus to the bloodstream, which later causes dengue fever.
 Life cycle of dengue involves two host humans and a mosquito. Mosquito acts as a
carrier. This mosquito-borne infectious disease is usually common in urban and
semi-urban areas. It affects a huge population every year as the cases increase
during monsoon because stagnant water is the breeding ground for mosquitoes.

2. What are the possible preventive measures against dengue outbreak in the
Philippines?
According to the results I have gathered after collecting some articles, the
possible preventive measures against dengue outbreak are the following:
Avoiding mosquito bites, using Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA)-registered insect repellents, covering water drums and pails, replacing
water in flower vases once a week, cleaning gutters of leaves and debris, wearing
long pants and a long-sleeved shi sort, staying in well-screened houses, sleeping
under mosquito-net, timing your outings, and etc.

3. What are the alternative or home remedies for dengue and its difference from
synthetic drugs?
According to the results I have gathered after collecting some articles, the
alternative or home remedies you can take to treat dengue are giloy juice, papaya
leaf juice, guava juice, neem leaves, kiwi juice, turmeric, tulsi & black pepper, and
etc. Due to many harmful side effects of synthetic drugs and increased
microorganism resistance to standard antimicrobial therapy, alternative
treatments from traditional herbal medicines have been widely explored. The
WHO also considers that ayurvedic or alternative medicines which are isolated
from medicinal plants are generally more secure, nontoxic, comparatively less
harmful, and cheaper than synthetic drugs.

CONCLUSION
Based on the articles that the researcher have collected, dengue is a very dangerous
disease that is caused by a mosquito (aegypti and albopictus). Many people have already
died because of the said virus. It affects a huge number of people as the cases of dengue
increases during monsoon since stagnant water is the breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Despite this problem, there are also things that can prevent the spreading of dengue
virus. As shown in the results above, the things you can use or do to prevent this virus
are the following: use some insect repellents, cover water drums and pails, stay in
well-screened houses, sleep under mosquito-net, and etc.
 Aside from the preventive measures, home remedies for dengue are also available and
can be used to cure the virus. Since synthetic drugs might affect our health due to its
chemicals (being processed and not natural), some people prefer to take the alternative
or home remedies like giloy juice, papaya leaf juice, kiwi juice, neem leaves, and etc.
Alternative treatments from traditional herbal medicines have been widely explored.

LIMITATIONS
Several limitations have been set in this review paper. The articles must only focus on
the topic, which is dengue virus. Articles with other topics such as coronavirus, leukemia,
diabetes, etc. are not included. Since the journals that were found by the researcher are
not enough, websites that are reliable and trustworthy have been chosen by the
researcher to include in the gathering of data.

REFERENCES
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Dengue Transmission. (2019, September 26). CDC - Center for Disease Control and
Prevention.
https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/transmission/index.html

Dengue Viruses. (n.d.). Scitable. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from

https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/dengue-viruses-22400925/?error=cookie
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Gill, Dr. B. S. (2007, February 8). History and Epidemiology of Dengue (Dr. R. N. B. Mudin,
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A Current Review of Plant-based Treatments for Dengue with Anti-viral Effects. (2018,
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