This year has seen a noticeable mount of dengue cases in the
country. According to the Department of Health‟s Dengue Surveillance
Report, 95,142 victims have been affected by the mosquito-born disease in the
first nine months of 2012 alone. A significant 12.94% increase from last year‟s same period, this
turnaround left even school administration to be more vigilant and take extra
preventive measures against the dreaded disease.
 |
During the Green Cross School Crashers, the students learn the Day and Night Dengue Lamok defense, a stance similar to a karate block which shows how little kids block off deadly dengue lamok from coming near them.
|
The hasty transmission of
the resilient virus has led school administrators, particularly the Lourdes
School of Mandaluyong (LSM), to ascertain that the mosquito vector‟s highly adaptable
quality is partly to blame. “These mosquitoes can easily adapt to changes in
the environment, find new places to breed and even effortlessly adjust to human
settlements. Previous efforts like defogging would only temporarily drive mosquitoes
away, and they would be here again to look for a new prey,” shares Ana Eva
Bolinao, School Principal of LSM. Bolinao also reveals that the school has
recorded 20 cases of dengue out of its total population of about 1,200 high
school and grade school students.
 |
| All students will not go home empty handed. Aside from learning about the harmful day and night dengue lamok, they also get to take home educational brochures with fun activities inside for them to answer and share with family members. |
Preventive
measures against dengue
Dr. Raymond Manuel,
Pediatrician and School Physician of LSM shares that cleaning campaigns like
defogging has been carried out in school premises usually after classes to
destroy possible mosquito breeding grounds. However the school physician
discloses that apart from mosquito larva killing and eliminating pools of
stagnant water, the most effective dengue preventive measure are awareness
campaigns. “Though we have adequate knowledge related to the disease „dengue,‟ others do not have
sufficient knowledge about the virus. And while we have a number of preventive
practices against the disease like defogging, its effectiveness against dengue
will be very minimal if the victims themselves aren‟t well-informed of
the dengue-carrying mosquitoes,” stresses Dr. Manuel. School-aged children,
especially those below 10 years old, appeared to be more susceptible to dengue
virus.
 |
| Grade school students meet the two naughty school crashers they need to avoid -Daytime Dengue Lamok (Ae. Aegypti) and Nighttime Dengue Lamok (Ae. Albopictus, and learn the deadly virus they carry with them. |
The Green Cross
School Crashers
Very timely is the Green Cross School Crashers campaign which was
recently launched at LSM and at several Metro Manila schools. As Green Cross
sees the vital importance of awareness campaigns, it embarks a Day and Night
Dengue Defense drive to acquaint young students and parents alike on facts
about dengue. Through the Green Cross School Crashers, students get to
understand the disease, its symptoms, and defensive measures in a fun and
interactive way.
The best line of
defense
Though there are a number of initiatives to prevent breeding sites and
protect oneself from dengue, the best line of defense is still personal
protection. The use of insect repellents is highly advisable especially to
protect those exposed skin one can not cover up with long-sleeved tops or
pants. And the only proven protection against day and night dengue lamok is the
new Green Cross Insect Repellent Lotion. It protects you from harmful
mosquitoes for up to 10 hours. It also has an antibacterial formulation proven
to kill up to 99.9% of disease-causing germs, a benefit which Green Cross brand
has always been known for. Green Cross Insect Repellent Lotion is especially
formulated to give complete protection from dengue mosquito bites, offering up
to 10 hours protection per application.
No comments:
Post a Comment