More Health Tips!
Health Tips!
Dengue
by: Elmer Palomata, MD, RN, DPCOM—AVP for Provider Relations and Claims Administration
Dengue continues to be a menace with the advent of the rainy season. Although the Department of Health has initiated programs to control its spread, the World Health Organization concluded that dengue is related to the Philippine economy. When people are faced with hard times, they tend to neglect water and sanitation issues to attend to more pressing needs like work and food.
The anti-dengue campaign of DOH dubbed "Bottoms-up" involves disposing unused tin cans, bottles and containers that are capable of holding water and ultimately becoming breeding sites for dengue mosquitoes if left uncovered.
Using insecticides can help minimize if not eradicate dengue. However, defogging methods commonly used by local government units are not effective in dengue eradication. It just tend to displace the mosquitoes to nearby areas without directly killing them. . Cleanliness is the only key to dengue prevention. Barangay officials must spearhead community-wide monitoring, detection and elimination breeding sites in their localities to prevent the spread of dengue.
The DOH has installed Dengue Hotlines at its Health Emergency Management Service in Quezon City and at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila to further assist the public in accessing information on how to prevent the occurrence and spread of dengue.