As rains continue to batter various areas in the country, a group of educators has urged “sustained vigilance” against dengue.
“While there has been a steady decline in cases since the dengue epidemic of 2019, we should not relax especially now that our healthcare system is overburdened because of COVID-19,” Philippine Educators Alliance for Community Empowerment (PEACE) Party-list president Marie Paz T. Abante said.
Abante called on local communities and families to complement the government’s efforts to address dengue by continuing to implement the health department’s 4S strategy.
The Department of Health earlier announced that cases of the mosquito-borne disease have been decreasing significantly since 2019, when the country tallied 437,563 reported cases and 1,689 deaths.
From January to April this year, there were 21,478 reported dengue cases, a 56 percent drop from the same period last year. In 2020, the country had 83,335 reported dengue cases, with 324 deaths. The figure was 81 percent lower than in 2019.
Abante called on local communities and families to complement the government’s efforts to address dengue by continuing to implement the health department’s 4S strategy.
The 4S strategy is: search and destroy mosquito-breeding sites; secure self-protection measures like wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts and daily use of mosquito repellent; seek early consultation, and support fogging or spraying only in hotspot areas where increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent an outbreak.
“Let us be reminded that protection starts at home. Siguruhin po natin na laging malinis ang paligid nang maprotektahan natin ang mga anak natin,” Abante said.
“Dengue is a disease that we can prevent. In doing so, we do our share in helping our healthcare workers and facilities because one less case of a preventable disease means more attention can be focused towards COVID-19,” she added.
Abante also expressed hope that a cure for dengue that will be launched soon would be successful in curbing the disease.
“Dengue is a disease that we can prevent. In doing so, we do our share in helping our healthcare workers and facilities because one less case of a preventable disease means more attention can be focused towards COVID-19.”
The Department of Science and Technology announced last week that a plant-based medicine developed by Pharmalytics Corp., a spinoff medical-pharmaceutical startup company from the De La Salle University-Dasmariñas, would be launched within the year.
“If this drug proves successful, we can finally put the threat of dengue, which affects tens of thousands of our fellow Filipinos, particularly children, behind us,” Abante said.
