Health authorities in the Philippines have declared a "national dengue alert" after a spike in cases of the viral disease which has left more than 450 people dead since January. Around 100,000 dengue cases were reported across the Philippines in the first six months of 2019, an increase of 85% on the same period last year. Epidemics have been declared in four regions of the country -- Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Northern Mindanao -- which between them are home to more than 20 million people, or roughly 20% of the Philippines population. read more https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/16/health/philippines-dengue-national-alert-hnk-intl/index.html