Monday, June 18, 2007 DOH braces for rainy season By Carlo P. Mallo
THE onslaught of global warming will not only affect the volatile climate of the planet but more alarmingly will also usher in the spread of deadly epidemics.
The Department of Health (DOH) is expecting cases of dengue to increase this year primarily due to the increased temperature that the country is going through.
Other neighboring countries, such as Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia have already reported an upsurge of dengue cases.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, for his part, is bracing up for the coming rainy season.
In an interview last week, Duque said there are four diseases that they are gearing up against, namely: waterborne diarrheas, influenza, leptospirosis, and dengue.
With global warming, warm weather would ensue in the tropical countries like the Philippines. Warm weather would mean faster maturity of mosquitoes.
The warmer the weather, the more mosquitoes there would be and thus the expected increase in dengue cases this year.
However, it was reported over the weekend that Davao City has no recorded death resulting from dengue for the year, unlike in 2006 wherein two death cases was recorded.
Duque proposed the best way to prevent dengue is for everyone to conduct a "search and destroy" mission.
"We just cannot sit and wait for mosquitoes to come our way and swat them," Duque said.
He added there is a need for everyone to look for possible breeding areas of mosquitoes and destroying such. He added even in the small crowns of soft drink bottles, a mosquito could breed more than 50 offspring.
"What more if it were a bigger container?" Duque asked during the interview.
The Department of Health is conducting a "4-S" program to quash the prevalence of dengue in the country.
The "4-S" stands for Search and Destroy (breeding places of mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus), Self-Protection Measures (application of mosquito repellant), Seek Early Consultations (consulting the doctor when symptoms like fever with skin rashes appear) and Say No to Indiscriminate Fogging as fogging is only applicable if and when there is a dengue outbreak.
