ILOILO – Today, the provincial government and Department of Education (DepEd) are spearheading a synchronized school cleanup against dengue mosquitoes.
“Brigada Kontra Dengue” involves parents, teachers, barangay officials, and school alumni, among others.
“Schools are taking action,” said Dr. Miguel Mac Aposin, Iloilo Schools Division superintendent.
The province has been placed under a state of calamity due to dengue outbreak.
“We encourage parents and community stakeholders to help free our schools from dengue mosquitoes,” Aposin said.
A mosquito-borne viral infection, dengue could sometimes be fatal. Its carriers are day-biting mosquitoes (Aedes albpictus and Aedes aegypti) that live and breed and clean, stagnant water.
DepEd-Iloilo issued a memorandum for the conduct of the cleanup to destroy the breeding places of mosquitoes in both elementary and high schools.
Pupils, however, have been discouraged to join the cleanup.
The age group most affected by dengue is between one to 20 years old, explained Aposin.
DepEd-Iloilo also released a memorandum allowing pupils to wear long, loose, light-colored clothes and knee-high socks to protect themselves from mosquito bites.
“We advised school heads to conduct a short orientation with participants prior to the cleanup so they would know what to do. Importante nga magpanglimyu pero mas maayo gid kon ma-increase ang awareness sang tanan,” said Aposin.
DepEd-Iloilo already distributed flyers from the Provincial Health Office (PHO) identifying the possible breeding places of mosquitoes.
Aposin said Brigada participants should look for these places and destroy them.
Since Jan. 1 of this year, PHO had recorded 6,806 dengue cases (with 23 deaths) as of July 13 – a 998-percent increase from the 620 cases with three deaths recorded in the same period last year.
Five municipalities with the most number of dengue cases were Pototan (716 cases with three deaths), Passi City (459 cases with one death), Sara (379 cases with one death), Concepcion (337 cases with four deaths), and Lambunao (294 cases with one death).
The 13 other deaths were from Santa Barbara (one death from 260 cases), Cabatuan (one death from 256 cases), Maasin (two deaths from 168 cases), Pavia (two deaths from 167 cases), Dingle (one death from 155 cases), Dueñas (one death from 151 cases), New Lucena (one death from 133 cases), Bingawan (two deaths from 121 cases), Banate (two deaths from 117 cases). (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
