DAVAO CITY - Five died while 969 others were infected by dengue from January to July this year, the City Health Office (CHO) reported Friday. In an interview, Melodina Babante, head of CHO's tropical diseases prevention unit, said this year's 959 cases are higher compared to the 928 recorded during the same period last year. Babante also cautioned the mortality figure this year could increase in the coming months if residents remain complacent in adhering to anti-dengue measures. Dengue fatalities this year include two children and three adults, she said. Last year, the mosquito-borne disease killed seven residents. "We hope that it will not increase anymore. We are intensifying our campaign in the dengue hotspot areas," Babante said. Babante said villages considered dengue hotspots include Buhangin Proper, Talomo Poblacion, Baliok, Bucana, Matina Pangi, and Catalunan Grande. "We went to the barangays and if there are confirmed cases we focus our interventions th