THE Department of Education-Davao City Division (DepEd-Davao City) said it is monitoring the health status of the Davao Region Athletic Association (Davraa) 2024 athletes amid the threat of pertussis.
Reynante Solitario, DepEd Davao City Schools Division Superintendent, said during the Davraa press conference on Wednesday afternoon, April 3, 2024, at the DepEd Division Office on Quirino Avenue that the athletes are monitored by the medical teams assigned to their billeting quarters.
“Tanan na mga delegations naa pod na silay mga doctor nga gipadala ug nurses, so far dili na pod ing-ana ka grabe para makulbaan na ta nga mao nato siya nga sa sakit. Of course common siya nga disease sa Visayas but we don’t have that particularly in Davraa (All of the delegations they have their own set of doctors and nurses sent by their division, so far this is no cause for concern that will cause for alert. Of course it is a common disease in the Visayas but we don’t have that [here] particularly in Davraa),” he said.
Solitario said that they constantly monitor the welfare of the athletes by providing consultations whether they are at the venue of the games or in their respective billeting quarters. He said they require the officials from the billeting quarters to submit a report to the regional office to consolidate the data.
The monitoring for pertussis among the athletes will continue until all the delegations go home on April 7, 2024.
Rodrigo C. Bustillo, chief of operation of the Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), assured that the local government's emergency medical team is positioned on alert in every billeting quarter for immediate response in case of a medical emergency.
“Davao City (man ni), we have a lot of resources we can provide to make sure nga [that] all of our participants are safe,” he said.
As of April 2, 2024, the DepEd regional office identified five medical conditions among the athletes: common colds (30 cases), cough (29 cases), headache (25 cases), abdominal pain and flu (11 cases), toothache and fever (nine cases), dengue fever (one case), and traumatic injury related to sports (one case).
The Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) announced that for the first quarter of 2024, they have already recorded 10 cases of pertussis and one death. RGP
Related stories:
