Philippines; National Dengue Epidemic Declared
The government declared a national dengue epidemic amid the rising cases of the mosquito-borne disease in many parts of the country, 06-August, Tuesday.
The declaration was made in a press conference following a meeting among officials, including the Department of Health and Department of Defense Secretaries.
With the declaration, memorandum circular was issued urging all agencies of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to support efforts of the Department of Health (DOH) against dengue.
From July 2019, there has been over 145,000 affected by dengue fever, double from to 73,000 from around same time last year. Over 600 succumbed to the disease.
Dengue is transmitted through a bite of dengue-infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. These mosquitoes can lay eggs in any space or container that holds clear and stagnant water like a bottle cap, dish dryer, plant axil, gutter, trash can, old rubber tire, etc. They usually bite between 2 hours after sunrise and 2 hours before sunset and can be found inside and outside the house. It can’t be spread directly from one person to another person.
The Department of Health reminded the public to do the 4-S against dengue. The campaign stands for:
S – Search and Destroy mosquito breeding sites.
S – Self-Protection measures by wearing long sleeves, long pants and daily use of repellent
S – Seek early consultation. Go to the doctor as soon as signs and symptoms appear.
S – Support fogging/spraying only in hot spot areas where increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent an impending outbreak.
Signs and symptoms of dengue fever are the following:
- sudden, high fever
- severe headaches
- pain behind the eyes
- severe joint and muscle pain
- fatigue
- nausea
- vomiting
- skin rash which appears two to five days after the onset of fever
- Mild bleeding (such a nose bleed, bleeding gums or easy bruising)
Immediate medical care is imperative.
Let’s talk with aimtalk teachers:
- What kind of epidemic was declared in your country before? Please explain what it was.
- What other insect-borne diseases do you know? Why do you think even experts can’t totally get rid of these deadly insect-borne diseases?
- How do you protect yourself from insect-borne diseases?
