The country already reached the "peak" of dengue incidence and hopefully would see a decline in infection cases in the coming weeks, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said on Wednesday.

Ona assured the public that dengue outbreak has become “manageable,” citing government efforts to curb the spread in communities including a public awareness campaign on cleanliness.

There was also no need to declare a nationwide epidemic since the government has already identified some provinces where dengue cases were reported, he added.

“Dengue is a common disease that reaches its peak sometime in August and hopefully in the next couple of weeks, it will slowly decline,” Ona said in a press briefing.

“It is manageable in the sense we are able to identify all the areas where it is rampant. We have a pretty good idea what are the reasons behind this,” he added.

From January to August 21 this year, dengue cases reached 62,503, or 88.8 percent higher than 33,102 cases in the same period last year. At least 465 deaths were recorded this year, compared to 350 deaths in 2009.

Most of the cases came from Western Visayas, the Calabarzon area, Central Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, National Capital Region, Southern Mindanao, and Northern Mindanao.

Ona said dengue incidence in 2009 reached its peak sometime in August and started to decrease in the following months. He warned though that the DoH projects 20,000 more cases of dengue this year.

Ona also encouraged people not to worry about dengue, saying the government is on top of the situation. He said mild cases can be treated at home.

He said that people can practice D.E.N.G.U.E. or D — daily monitoring of patient’s status, E — encourage intake of oral fluids, N — note any dengue warning signs like vomiting and bleeding, G – give paracetamol for fever and not aspirin, U – use mosquito nets, and E – early consultation for any warning signs. He said this strategy seeks to decongest hospitals since not all dengue cases require hospital confinement.

Meanwhile, the DoH on Wednesday said it was not totally against the use of “tawa-tawa” leaves as cure for dengue but health officials advised the public to seek medical consultation for symptoms of mosquito-borne disease.

Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, DoH program manager for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, said they won’t discourage the use of tawa-tawa leaves because the usual method of using them relies on hydration, the primary treatment for dengue patients.

Tawa-tawa leaves are boiled before they are served to the patient. It is said to lower the fever and increase platelet count of the patient.

"It is boiled and the patient drinks the mixture. The principle is basically the same as in hydrating a patient," Lee Suy said.

The expert said when a patient is running a high grade fever, he or she loses fluids so hydration is imperative.

Dengue symptoms include mild to high-grade fever with severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, and rashes.

Lee Suy said the curative effects of the medicinal plant are not formally documented although studies have found no toxic ingredients in the plant. (With a report from Jenny F. Manongdo)