A TOTAL of 207 barangay workers and functionaries of Buhangin District have undergone orientation on Wednesday afternoon at Cabantian Barangay Hall for surveillance, protection, and detection of any monkeypox case.
Nurses, midwives and other barangay health workers from Acacia, Buhangin Proper, Cabantian, Callawa, Communal, Indagan, Tigatto, Waan and Mandug were oriented on the prevention, immediate signs and symptoms, incubation period, case management immediate isolation measures, and hotlines for reporting should monkeypox be detected in their barangays.
Dr. Kristy June Dinampo-Dayanan, Program Manager of the Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Disease (EREID) of the City Health Office conducted the seminar.
Dayanan, in an interview with the City Information Office, said that the series of orientations for barangay health workers are prioritized because they can spot or detect first if there are monkeypox cases in their barangays.
“Kini para sa atoang barangay level para sila ang first-hand mahatagan og orientation og ma-guidan gyud nato sila unsa gyud ang sakto nga pag-prevent ug pag control sa monkeypox up to their level since sila man gyud ang una makakita ug makakaplag kung naa ta’y makaabot nga kaso (This is for our barangay level for them to be given first-hand orientation so that they will be guided on how to prevent and control monkeypox in their level since they will be the one who will first see it if there will be a case in the city),” Dayanan said.
She said that the orientation is also a way for barangay health officials to be sensitive to a possible case as many tourists are expected to come to the city for the Kadayawan festivities. Should they monitor anyone with monkeypox, they had been instructed to immediately report to the proper division of CHO for fast isolation and prevention of transmission.
As to case management, the participants were also instructed on how to isolate a potential case of monkeypox.
Meanwhile, Dayanan said that the city has already prepared the BSP Malagos as an isolation facility for monkeypox cases. The medical team is ready and so are the medical facilities.
Dayanan said that the isolation facility cannot be combined with the COVID-19 isolation facility because they have different types of transmission.
“Kanang mga beddings pwede pud na siya magamit para makatakod so dili siya pwede isagol sa COVID-19 (The beddings can also be a mode of transmission for (monkeypox) so it cannot be the same with COVID-19 patients),” Dayanan said.
Dayanan added that currently, the 104-bed facility is undergoing renovation to be expanded to 129 beds.
As to additional personnel deployment, the Health Emergency Management System of City Epidemiology Surveillance and Disaster Response Unit (CESDRU) will be first deployed and activated should there be a confirmed case or in case of community transmission.
“Gi-compose ni sa atong TTMF nga mga personnel kaning sa mga isolation facility ug kani atong Covid Cluster Clinic nga himuon natong EREID center buot pasabot diha dalahon para ma check-up ang atong pasyente usa dalahon sa atoang isolation facilities ([the Hems] is composed of our TTMF personnel or those who are in our isolation facility and our Covid Cluster Clinic, which will be used as EREID center, meaning it will be the area where the patients will be checked first before they will be brought to the isolation facilities),” Dayanan added.
She said that they are also in close coordination with the Bureau of Quarantine and the Department of Health and have already implemented stricter screening and a more comprehensive health declaration form that now contains a question on “history of travel in endemic areas” to detect possible monkeypox exposures.
The EREID has also met with the Department of Health for the soon-to-be re-calibration of the molecular laboratories in the city for monkeypox detection. As of the moment, monkeypox samples can only be processed by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
She said that they have also conducted orientation for monkeypox for officials of the Department Education, hotel managements in Davao City, barangay officials of Barangay 76-A SIR, along with contact tracers, and all barangays of Toril.
Dayanan underscored that Dabawenyos could prevent monkeypox through observance of the Minimum Public Health Standards (MPHS), social distancing, and the proper wearing of face masks.
She said that also scheduled on August 11 is the orientation and coordination with the 911 responders on patient clinical assessment and referral and endorsement, and on August 12: Orientation and Awareness to Agdao Police Station. They target that all barangays within the city will be aware of the monkeypox. DAVAO CIO