Developing a dengue risk index using the index for risk management (INFORM) framework at a regional scale in the Philippines

• Main Authors: Ang, Patricia Denise S., Heo, Nagyeong, Latonio, Jan Christine D.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: Dengue > Philippines; Biology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_bio/28; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdb_bio/article/1029/viewcontent/2023_Ang_Heo_Latonio_Developing_a_Dengue_Risk_Index_Full_text.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. It is endemic to tropical and subtropical countries and remains a significant public health concern in the Philippines. To assess the risk of dengue in the country, a Dengue Risk Index was designed following the INFORM Epidemic Risk Index framework in which Hazard & Exposure, Vulnerability, and Lack of Coping Capacity dimensions of all regions were assessed using 17 indicators affecting dengue transmission, namely Dengue Incidence, Number of Floods, Number of Storms, Access to Improved Water Source (%), Access to Improved Sanitation Facility (%), Regional Poverty Index (% Severe Poverty), Number of Arrivals per Region, Social Listening, Percentage of People with PhilHealth Coverage, Number of Healthcare Facilities (per 10,000), Number of Healthcare workers (per 10,000), Percentage Share of Health Expenditure per region, Functional Literacy Rate, Percentage of Fully-Immunized Children per region, Percentage of Completely-Immunized Children per region, Mortality Rate (Entire Philippines, in %), Mortality Rate (Child, in %). Corresponding color-graded maps depicting the least to most vulnerable regions were also generated using the computed dimension scores through QGIS. The results show that the National Capital Region (NCR) had the least dengue risk, with a risk class of Low Risk and a risk score of 1.9. This region ranked lowest in both the Hazard & Exposure and Vulnerability Dimensions. Meanwhile, the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) had the highest dengue risk in the country, with a Medium Risk class and a risk score of 4.6. This region ranked the highest in the Vulnerability Dimension. In view of this, the index may serve as a guide for local and national government units in dengue risk assessment and outbreak prevention. Nevertheless, considering the novelty of the Dengue Risk Index, the use of additional indicators such as climatic factors and land use may be applied in future iterations of this study.