DepED, LGUs urged to jumpstart dengue alert
The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Local Government Units (LGUs) are called upon to be in the forefront of an early anti-dengue campaign because of dengue becoming a year-round public health threat.
The Department of Health has started to empower the LGUs to help in curtailing the dengue problem in the country, as well as the DepEd through their health education classes, for intensive information and education campaign.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque said they launched the 2008 National Anti-Dengue Campaign to prepare the public for dengue's peak season in the middle of the year. Last year, there were 43,938 cases and 407 deaths reported from January to December 8,
The DOH said the occurrence and spread of dengue are not only confined to the known wet and rainy months of the year anymore because in some parts of he country, rain comes even during the dry season and summer time.
"Hence, the possibility of having more breeding grounds than the usual is high and very likely. This will most likely increase dengue cases," Duque said.
Duque also said that the fight against dengue is not a DOH battle alone as there is the DepEd and the LGUs and the Liga ng Mga Barangay in the local front.
DOH recently turned over to DepEd and the DILG posters, flipcharts and audio visual materials for use in their respective information campaigns.
Duque said apart from the local partners, there are also international agencies that are helping the DOH, like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) which helped financed the materials. (PIA 6/ESS)