An Aedes
aegypti mosquito is seen at the Laboratory of Entomology and Ecology of the
Dengue Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in San
Juan, Puerto Rico, in this March 6, 2016 file photo. REUTERS/Alvin Baez/Files
Fact: Dengue cases in 2015 increased by 60%
year-on-year, from 121,000 cases in 2014 to 200,415. Data from Department of
Health’s data showed nearly 32,000 cases have been reported in the first three
months of 2016. The disease is quite common during the rainy season although
anybody can get dengue all year round.
Rapid population growth, international trade
and climate warming contribute to the expansion and unpredictability of the disease,
which is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes Aegypti mosquito infected with one
of the four dengue virus serotypes. The mosquito becomes infected when it bites
a person with dengue virus in the blood.
According to the World Health Organization,
symptoms appear within 3 to 14 days of a person being bitten.
“Severe dengue (also known as dengue
hemorrhagic fever) is characterized by fever, abdominal pain, persistent
vomiting, bleeding and breathing difficulty and is a potentially lethal
complication, affecting mainly children. Early clinical diagnosis and careful
clinical management by trained physicians and nurses increase survival of
patients,” said WHO in its Web site.
“There’s been a 30-fold increase in the
incidence of dengue in the past 50 years,” said Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy of the
DOH-National Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare
Philippines Inc., along with other organizations in the Philippines, including
Department of Health, Philippine Pharmacists Association, and Mercury Drug
Corp., to name a few, launched a campaign dubbed “Allied Against Dengue.”
The campaign supports the effort to defeat
dengue and empower healthcare providers, organizations and communities; and
reduce the impact of dengue on the nation in a holistic manner from prevention
and control to management. Allied Against Dengue is a GSK regional initiative
that’s also active in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Dengue is prevalent in Southeast Asia and in
the Philippines and the disease outbreak is spreading to more areas and
impacting more lives. The Allied Against
Dengue Movement was founded to lead a change and create a bigger impact through
collaborative partnerships, healthcare providers, industry and community
empowerment and a holistic public education approach that combines prevention
with management.
Allied Against Dengue hopes to bring down the
death rate caused by dengue in 3 to 4 years by helping inform and educate the
public on the disease. How does the campaign aim to do this?
Close to 1,200 healthcare providers including
doctors, general practitioners and pharmacists will help educate patients and
consumers in detecting dengue fever at its onset and provide the appropriate
treatment.
Allied Against Dengue will also assist in
integrating preventive and control activities driven by DOH, academia and
organizations, with education on dengue fever management and advocate through
healthcare providers, drugstore partners and GSK. The campaign will also deploy education
campaigns through multiple channels including digital, mainstream and social
media and ground activations. There will be Dengue Warriors who will effect
positive action and social change within their families and society. They will
distribute 50,000 dengue primers in public schools via the DOH to help increase
awareness.
“GSK was motivated to initiate Allied Against
Dengue as we were concerned of the escalating hazard and effects of dengue on
the nation including our employees and their families who have experienced the
dreaded disease. Uniting forces and actions enable greater empowerment across
stakeholders, education delivery to communities nationwide and allow us to help
people do more, feel better and live longer,” said Heather Pelier, general
manager at GSK Consumer Healthcare.
During the launch of the campaign,
representatives from the different organizations spoke about dengue. Dr. Sally
Gatchalian, vice president of the Philippines Pharmacists Association, talked
about the disease’s symptoms, prevention, treatment and even how dengue can be
avoided.
Calpol brand ambassador Jolina
Magdangal-Escueta said children love playing in still water. Thus, she said it
is very important for parents like her to be aware of the child’s surroundings
because even the most innocent looking vase can be a breeding ground for
mosquitoes.
Here are
important things to remember about dengue:
1. Know
the warning signs. The symptoms include high continuous fever that lasts
two to seven days; bleeding of nose and/or gums; nausea/vomiting; skin flushing
(rashes); and loss of appetite.
2. Don’t
take any medication. No medicine or antibiotic can treat dengue but it is
important to have bed rest and take lots of fluids. For fever, give the patient
paracetamol. Avoid aspirin or NSAIDS
like ibuprofen, which can cause stomach bleeding.
3. Always
practice the 4S. And these are: Search and Destroy (change water in vases,
clean your roof’s drain, clean the inside and outside of pails and other water
receptacles, ensure that no water is left in dish holders, cover all reservoirs
and overturn all receptacles used for storing water); Say “No” to indiscriminate fogging; Seek medical advice
if the fever persists for two days; and Self-protection measures such as
wearing mosquito patches
D. C. Vasquez
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