Laguna wins fight vs. dengue

MANILA, Philippines - With the ever-increasing cases of dengue fever in Metro Manila as well as in various provinces across the country, battling this disease has become a major concern of the respective local government units (LGUs) whose constituents have been affected. Such action from the LGUs has proven to be an effective management strategy, apart from relying on centralized help from the national government through the Department of Health. With city and provincial officials utilizing local funding and engaging the help of the private sector as well, they are able to respond more quickly and effectively to the victims, and further halt the spread of the disease by eradicating its source  the deadly Aedis aegypti mosquito.

The province of Laguna is one such area that has recently been under grave threat of emergency. The number of dengue fever cases reached an all-time high of 6,612 in 2010, prompting Governor Jeorge “ER” Ejercito Estregan to launch a campaign this year to mitigate such rise in dengue cases in the province of Laguna. Under the mobilization of the Provincial Health Office (PHO) of Laguna, the “Iwas Lamok, Iwas Dengue” campaign was formally launched last August, involving a multi-sectoral approach to strengthen the fight against the disease.

“The fight against dengue can only be won by integrated community-based action,” affirms Governor Estregan on their strategy in addressing the dengue problem in Laguna. “This involves the different sectors of society — both government and non-government bodies, such as the religious and civic groups, people’s organizations, and the private sector.”

As such, the advocacy program involves various activities covering a total of 674 barangays across four cities and 26 municipalities in the province. The PHO will primarily conduct case monitoring and surveillance, in order to gather important information and statistics. An information campaign will educate residents on the prevention of dengue, through leaflets, posters, and sit-down meetings or talks with invited resource speakers. The PHO will also spearhead a clean-up drive to identify and eradicate the usual potential mosquito breeding grounds — water drums, rubber tires, tin cans, and similar receptacles that tend to collect water.

Most importantly, eradication of the actual dengue mosquito will be carried out through larvicidal and adulticidal methods, such as the installation of improvised ovicidal-larvicidal (OL) traps as pioneered by the Department of Health. Additionally, the application of insecticide through space spraying, fogging and misting will also be implemented as necessary.

While such killing of larvae and eggs from the onset is the most ideal method to prevent the multiplication of dengue-carrying mosquitoes, vector control or directly attacking the adult carriers is also necessary in some instances. “Controlling the adult mosquito population is an immediate priority in cases of an outbreak in a specific locale,” explains Dr. Alsaneo Lagos, Laguna provincial health official. “The goal is to stop transmission of the disease by eradicating the carriers. As such, larvicides and insecticides are the best course of action to immediately halt the presence of the harmful mosquitoes.”

To contribute to the success of the provincial government of Laguna in its “Iwas Lamok, Iwas Dengue” campaign, Bayer Environmental Science (ES) played a big role by supplying the necessary components of the space spraying, fogging, and misting activities. These insecticides and chemicals from Bayer ES’s latest range of products are water-based and friendly to humans and the environment.

“Bayer was our choice because it is top-of-mind in the realm of public health worldwide, especially in dengue and malaria control,” explains Dr. Lagos. “Bayer products have been trusted for decades for its efficiency and effectiveness. At the same time, it has continuously been innovating on its products to address the latest public health requirements and issues.”

Bayer ES products for vector control are available in the Philippines through its official national distributor, Alog & Company Inc.

“Both Bayer ES and Alog & Company are committed to helping the public in effective yet cost-efficient and sustainable environmental management,” adds Dennis Alog, vice president for sales of Alog & Company Inc. “We provide solutions to help safeguard public health without compromising the safety of our environment.”

Given the impact of the program during its launch, Alog and Company, Inc., Bayer ES, and the local government of Laguna recognize such an important cause indeed requires long-term solutions. “With the mobilization of a stronger force against dengue under the ‘Iwas Lamok, Iwas Dengue’ campaign, and with the valuable support of private sector entities such as Bayer, we are sure to hit our target of 50-percent decrease in dengue cases from last year,” says Governor Ejercito-Estregan.