The Department of Health feels the need of solving the several cases of dengue situation in the entire countrydue to its alarming level. It is the lead agency responsible for country’s dengue prevention and control program working in collaboration with DILG which has mandate over the LGUs.What is dengue? Why does the country situated with high percentage of this phenomenon feel so alarming? Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection causing a severe flu-like illness and, sometimes causing a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue. The incidence of dengue has increased 30-fold over the last 50 years. This is the reason why DOH initiatedDengue Prevention and Control Program which made the launching of first dengue vaccine in the Philippines, known as Dengvaxia, through a School-Based Immunization Program (SBIP) for nine year old, Grade 4 children for the school year 2015-2016 in all public elementary schools in NCR, Region III and Region IV-A.The goal of the program is to reduce morbidity and mortality from dengue infection by preventing the transmission of the virus from the mosquito vector to human.
The Department of Education, exclusively nine year old children – homed to grade 4 level, as the most beneficiaries of this immunization program, will undergo clinical consultations and through different stages of vaccination every six (6) months respectively.
All qualified children will be set to their scheduled vaccination date.
As beneficiary, the Department of Education in the Division of Bataan, along with over 50 schools cooperate to achieve the goal of lessening and preventing if not totally eliminated the high situated dengue phenomenon in Bataan. They are tasked to:
- Disseminate information, health warnings, and advisories throughout the year;
- Implement clean up drive in schools;
- See to it that school premises are well secured against any factor that would weaken the effort to provide the children with good sanitation and sound environment;
- Inform parents of the importance of proper sanitation and surroundings at home;
- Coordinate and report to the local health authorities if unusual number of student absences is observed;
- And with the assistance of DPWH, ensure that schools have regular water supply especially in comfort rooms to minimize the practice of storing water in schools.
The ever growing problem in Dengue will be totally banned if we worked hand in hand because as Bill Clinton quoted, “We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more.”
By: Jervel A. Josafat
