GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/28 May) – Local health offices here and in nearby South Cotabato province will dispatch health teams next week to various schools in the area to promote proper health practices and prevention measures against the deadly dengue fever among pupils, students and school personnel.
Dr. Edgardo Sandig, City Integrated Health Services Office (CIHSO) chief, said their sanitary and medical personnel will visit local schools starting on the opening of classes on Monday to conduct a series of health information and education sessions.
“These sessions are aimed at promoting advocacy on basic proper health practices like the simple washing of hands on a regular basis and maintenance of cleanliness in school surroundings,” he said.
Sandig said they deem it important to educate the pupils and students this early regarding such practices to help prevent the emergence of diseases that may cause outbreaks among them.
He said they are specifically promoting the conduct of regular cleanup in local schools as a preventive measure against dengue.
The campaign, he said, is centered on the Department of Health’s (DOH) 4S strategy against dengue that stands for: search and destroy, self-protection measures, seek early consultation, and say no to indiscriminate fogging.
“The best way to combat dengue is still though proper sanitation and cleanliness of our surroundings,” he said.
The DOH 12’s regional epidemiology and surveillance unit reported that the number of confirmed dengue cases in the city has reached 117 as of last May 19.
Such figure was down by 12 percent compared to last year’s dengue incidence in the same period.
It listed only two dengue deaths but local health personnel earlier said three patients have already succumbed to complications caused by dengue hemorrhagic fever in the area since January.
Meantime, in South Cotabato province, provincial health officer Dr. Rogelio Aturdido said they will also launch anti-dengue campaigns in schools within the province’s 10 towns and lone city starting next week.
He said they will initially focus their campaign in Tupi town, which so far posted the most number of confirmed dengue cases in the area.
As of May 19, DOH 12 listed 109 dengue cases in the province or 51 percent down from last year’s figures.
“We remained below the alert threshold but we can’t afford to be complacent especially now that the rainy season is here,” Aturdido said.
The health official added that their office is set to distribute olyset curtains to selected schools in the province to help combat the spread of dengue-carrying mosquitoes. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)