Monday, June 30, 2008 DOH: Stop spread of dengue in schools By Jane Cadalig
THE Department of Health (DOH) will distribute insecticide-treated curtains to about 42 schools as part of the agency's effort to reduce the number of dengue cases in the Cordillera.
Dr. Antonio Bautista, chief of the DOH's infectious diseases cluster, said the treated curtains would be distributed to the high-risk areas in the region through the Department of Education (DepEd).
The health department has identified 26 municipalities in the Cordillera's six provinces and seven barangays in Baguio City as dengue high-risk areas, based on an average three-year morbidity data.
Bautista said the insecticide treated curtains have been proven successful in eliminating malaria in Africa.
"If this will be successful in our fight against dengue, we will expand the distribution to other schools in the region," he said.
The DOH has intensified its campaign against dengue, saying outbreaks of the disease have become a yearly occurrence. Dengue outbreaks were recorded to occur every three years, but health officials expressed alarm over the change of pattern.
It is looking at the possibility of integrating dengue prevention and control in the school's curriculum to educate the students on how to avoid acquiring the disease.
In 2007, 1,146 dengue cases were recorded in the region, with Baguio City posing the highest number. A total of 511 dengue cases were recorded in the city. Benguet noted 197, while Mountain Province had 145. Seven towns of the province's 10 municipalities were declared high-risk areas for dengue.
Among the recorded cases last year, 56 percent of the victims were males while 44 percent were females.
The DOH recently launched the Communication for Behavior Impact (Combi) program as a new strategy in eliminating the disease.
The program seeks to involve the community in the implementation of the preventive measures against dengue.
