STUDENTS in Lapu-Lapu schools are organized for an anti-dengue campaign and are tasked with destroying mosquito breeding sites on campus.
Kicking off the opening of classes on Monday, July 29, 2024, the School Dengue Brigade Program is a coordinated activity of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Health (DOH).
The program includes various activities aimed at combating dengue, said Ronald Ferrer, Lapu-Lapu City assistant schools division superintendent.
“Now that it is the rainy season, schools create activities related to dengue prevention and activation. This is a set of activities, three o’clock habits of cleaning to eliminate breeding places of the mosquitoes,” said Ferrer, in a mix of Cebuano and English, on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024.
Ferrer said the dengue brigade is a division-wide implementation that involves the conduct of regular clean-up drives to search and destroy breeding areas.
DepEd LLC has also partnered with the City Health Office (CHO) for the distribution of Olyset nets to local government units targeting public schools.
Jovenie Baguio, City dengue coordinator, said that during the launch of the Dengue Caravan on June 10, the CHO distributed Olyset nets and larvicidal chemicals to the mainland barangays of LLC.
“I targeted school-aged students and other elementary pupils. We always allocate Olyset nets and larvicides to prevent dengue cases,” said Baguio.
Baguio said they distributed seven to 15 Olyset nets to prevent the surge of dengue among pupils; the distribution of the rolls of nets varies depending on the wideness of the areas.
Barangays Basak, Gun-ob, Pusok, and Mactan received 15 rolls, while the rest of the mainland barangays received seven to 10 rolls, said Baguio.
She noted that there are already existing nets and this initiative is done annually by the DOH through the request of the CHO.
Surveys
Meanwhile, CHO officer Agnes Realiza said they conduct etymological surveys to see the communities that have high fever rates or dengue cases.
Realiza added that through the etymological survey, health officers will be able to identify if the area has ‘aedes’ which are mosquito carriers of dengue.
She added that the cases increased this year compared to last year; although, she noted that there are no recorded deaths due to dengue.
According to the City Epidemiology Surveillance Unit data, there are 239 cases recorded from January to June this year and 232 cases from the same period last year.
Realiza stressed that they are continuously coordinating with the barangays in the campaign to fight dengue.
“We are coordinating with the barangays since they can disseminate information about dengue easier since residents are nearer to the health centers. Information drives are also being intensified, such as the 5S strategy and ways to prevent probable breeding areas for mosquitoes,” said Realiza.
The 5S strategy stands for “search and destroy self-protection measures, seek early consultation, say yes to misting when there is an impending outbreak or hotspot, and sustained hydration” strategy. / DPC