Health Risks Brief: 2026 1st Quarter
A look into local health-related laws, policies, regulations, and program for first quarter of 2026, such as but not limited to 45 percent Measles-Rubella surge and the Navotas landfill fire impacting Metro Manila air quality.
Executive Summary
Health-Related Laws, Policies, and Regulations
- The Department of Health (DOH) has issued updated guidelines for the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program. It is a government-funded program that provides financial assistance to low-income Filipinos for hospital bills and other healthcare costs not fully paid by PhilHealth.
Local Diseases
- The Department of Health (DOH) reported a 70 percent decline in dengue cases this year compared to last year, according to health data released on February 14, 2026. A total of 14,907 dengue cases had been recorded across the country during this time period. Health officials attributed the decline to stronger prevention measures, early medical consultation of probable cases, improved disease surveillance, and ongoing vector control campaigns. One of these campaigns include the Alas Kwatro Kontra Mosquito campaign, which was launched in February 2025 to promote daily household prevention measures against mosquito breeding sites.
- The Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,627 measles-rubella (MR) cases nationwide from January 4 to March 21, 2026, marking a 45 percent increase in cases compared to last year. In the same period in 2025, a total of 1,121 cases were recorded. Health officials warned that low vaccination coverage throughout the country continues to increase the risk of outbreaks, particularly in parts of Mindanao.
International Diseases
- A new COVID-19 variant, BA.3.2. (Cicada), has been circulating in at least 23 countries and is considered a variant under monitoring (VUM) by the World Health Organization (WHO) since December 2025. As of April 5, 2026, the Philippines’ health department confirms that no cases of the Cicada variant have been detected in the Philippines. Health experts do not see BA.3.2. as driving new large global waves of
Weather- and Hazard- Related Health Risks
- In the evening of April 10, 2026, a fire broke out in the Navotas Sanitary landfill in Navotas City, Metro Manila. Although it was initially declared under control by authorities, the landfill continues to burn, with the smoke reportedly contributing to the worsening of air quality in the surrounding areas of Navotas, such as Bulacan and parts of Metro Manila such as Valenzuela, Malabon, Caloocan, Pasay, Manila, and Makati.
- The onset of the warm and dry season, more commonly known as the summer season, was declared by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on March 23. Since then, several parts of the country have recorded heat indexes as high as 47 degrees Celsius, of which prolonged exposure increases the risk of developing heat-related diseases.
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