Eight cities and municipalities plan to declare a dengue outbreak after Quezon City’s declaration last Saturday, according to Assistant Health Secretary Albert Domingo, spokesperson of the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday.

In an interview with DZBB, Domingo said that a rise in dengue cases was seen in Calabarzon, Central Luzon and Metro Manila.

''There is an unusual rise in dengue cases seen by the DOH as it usually happens around June onwards or during the rainy season,'' said Domingo in a statement.

Domingo said the rise in dengue cases can be attributed to sudden rains caused by climate change.

“It is not the rainy season yet, but the shearline, intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and easterlies weather systems have caused an increase in rainfall. Once rainfall increases, it becomes stagnant water which becomes breeding grounds for mosquitoes,” Domingo said.

The DOH says there are 28,234 dengue cases nationwide as of February 1, up 40 percent from the same period last year. Yzabela Velez-White/DMS