Health Risks Brief: 2025 1st Quarter

Executive Summary

Health-Related Laws, Policies, and Regulations

• The amendments to the Universal Health Care Act is currently at the bicameral conference committee stage for ratification after House version, House Bill (HB) 11357 was passed in third reading. Its counterpart, Senate Bill (SB) 2620 was passed last August 2024. The measure is one of the priority bills of the current administration and is now pending at the Bicameral Conference Committee for final reconciliation.

Local Disease Updates

• The Baguio City Health Services Office (CHSO) confirmed two additional cases of mpox (formerly monkeypox) on February 7, raising the city’s total to four. The new cases involve a 21-year-old male and a 21-year-old female, both of whom are in isolation and reportedly recovering. Health officials are currently conducting contact tracing and advising the public to remain vigilant. Since July 2022, a total of 56 mpox cases have been reported nationwide, with two confirmed fatalities.
• The Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 62,313 dengue cases nationwide from January 1 to March 1, marking a 73 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. CALABARZON, the National Capital Region (NCR), and Central Luzon remain the most affected reporting 12, 735; 11, 291; and 10,185 cases respectively. Despite the surge, the case fatality has decreased to 0.35 percent, slightly lower than the 0.42 percent recorded during the same period last year. The DOH attributes this decline to improved case management and early detection.

International Disease Updates

• Among the first executive orders that US President Donald Trump issued upon his inauguration last January 20, 2025 is the United States’ exit from the World Health Organization (WHO), posing significant impacts to global health response. It will take around a year for the withdrawal process to be completed upon the US’ notification to the WHO. While it may pose significant global health risks, the Philippines’ local health department assured its citizens that health services in the country would remain unaffected.
• As of April 10, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed a total of 712 cases of measles across 25 states in the United States (US). Most of the affected cases fall between 5 to 19 years old and are unvaccinated against the disease. Amid the World Health Organization (WHO) exit by the US, health experts are worried as they see measles as a “plane flight away,” and with global health funding cuts, controlling measles may become more difficult.

Weather and Natural Disaster Health Risks

• A surge in extreme heat across the Philippines has forced widespread school closures, strained local government resources, and triggered nationwide health warnings as the country enters its dry season. With temperatures in Metro Manila hitting “danger level” heat indices of up to 46 degrees Celsius (114.8 degrees Fahrenheit), education officials have shifted millions of students to online learning, while field workers are now operating under heat-related labor adjustments.