DepEd intensifies drive on dengue prevention

To protect the school populace from dengue that is prevalent during rainy days, the Department of Education has directed school officials to maintain sanitation in schools and mobilize school health and nutrition personnel for the control and prevention of the disease.

Education Undersecretary Fe Hidalgo, in a memorandum, said that the latest results of the Weekly Daily Surveillance Report from the Department of Health showed that dengue "remained number two among a list of reportable diseases."

In Central Visayas, the disease has recently claimed three more lives over the past two weeks, bringing the total casualties in the region to 32 since the start of the year, most of which are children.

Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit records showed a total of 1,322 cases and 32 deaths involving dengue this year from January to July 29.

This is however a slight decrease from last year's 1,800 cases and 49 deaths during the same period.

Because of the continuous threat of the disease among children especially during the rainy season, DepEd has instructed school officials to mobilize its school health and nutrition personnel and refer any pupil with fever and those who may be experiencing symptoms of dengue to the clinic or hospital.

The DOH has advised the public to store water in covered containers and replace them regularly to prevent breeding sites of dengue-causing mosquitoes.

RESU nurse Reynan Cimafranca said that the public has to be vigilant with dengue. "Used tires, bottles, tin cans and all sorts of containers become filled with rainwater and become breeding grounds for dengue-carrying mosquitoes. There is an increased availability of stagnant water, suitable for these mosquitoes to thrive," Cimafranca explained. - Jasmin R. Uy