Snowy Owl
Retired in 2010, In Memoriam
The rising tide of dengue
www.abs-cbnnews.com
Despite conscious efforts of the Department of Health, the number of dengue cases in many parts of the country has continued to rise. Three dengue hot spots—Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Central Visayas—have registered a total of 8,635 cases, with 118 deaths.
From January to August, the dengue cases stood at 13,468 with 167 fatalities throughout the country. On Thursday alone five deaths were reported from Rizal, Bataan and Marikina.
What this shows is that we have not made a quantum leap in improving the dengue situation.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has launched an antidengue drive which calls mainly for the search and destruction of mosquitoes’ breeding places. The drive also aims to protect the community by calling on patients with dengue symptoms to seek early treatment.
This dengue-control program is insufficient. The situation calls for the creation of an expert panel to look into the epidemiological features of the dengue outbreak and formulate measures to control its further spread.
Dengue is a disease caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito.
The symptoms are high fever, rashes, severe headache, muscle and joint pains, vomiting and nose bleeding. The incubation of dengue fever ranges from three to two weeks.
When a patient’s platelet count goes down, the blood’s clotting property diminishes resulting in possible continuous bleeding and death. The cost of hospitalization and treatment, especially when blood transfusion is required, is enormously high.
The dengue virus is endemic in Brazil. Several Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia, are also suffering from a dengue outbreak. Vietnam has listed 6,730 new cases of dengue, with nine deaths.
Most of the victims are children. To protect school children from contracting dengue, education authorities have advised them to wear long maong pants to protect them from mosquito bites. .
The best preventive measure against dengue is to destroy the breeding places of mosquitoes, such as stagnant water in the premises of homes and schools. It is imperative for the people themselves to get involved in the anti-dengue drive by keeping their surroundings safe from mosquitoes.
Cerebral Palsy Protection Week
From September 16 to 22 the Philippines celebrates the third Cerebral Palsy Awareness and Protection Week under the joint auspices of the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons and the Cerebral-Palsied Association of the Philippines Inc.
This year’s theme showcases the potentials and talents of people with cerebral palsy that will pave the way for their productive integration into the mainstream of society.
With the support of the government for persons with disabilities, the dream of erasing in the minds of the people that persons with cerebral palsy are a burden to society is slowly coming to a reality.
Our society now understands the plight of people with cerebral palsy.
More opportunities and challenges are now open for them. A classic example of a cerebral-palsied person is Joinnel Margarito-Enorme, who made a world record in sports as an international ice skating champion. His feats have brought honor to the country.
The government must give people with disabilities, especially those with cerebral palsy, equal rights to enable them to play a modest role in national development.
www.abs-cbnnews.com
Despite conscious efforts of the Department of Health, the number of dengue cases in many parts of the country has continued to rise. Three dengue hot spots—Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Central Visayas—have registered a total of 8,635 cases, with 118 deaths.
From January to August, the dengue cases stood at 13,468 with 167 fatalities throughout the country. On Thursday alone five deaths were reported from Rizal, Bataan and Marikina.
What this shows is that we have not made a quantum leap in improving the dengue situation.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has launched an antidengue drive which calls mainly for the search and destruction of mosquitoes’ breeding places. The drive also aims to protect the community by calling on patients with dengue symptoms to seek early treatment.
This dengue-control program is insufficient. The situation calls for the creation of an expert panel to look into the epidemiological features of the dengue outbreak and formulate measures to control its further spread.
Dengue is a disease caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito.
The symptoms are high fever, rashes, severe headache, muscle and joint pains, vomiting and nose bleeding. The incubation of dengue fever ranges from three to two weeks.
When a patient’s platelet count goes down, the blood’s clotting property diminishes resulting in possible continuous bleeding and death. The cost of hospitalization and treatment, especially when blood transfusion is required, is enormously high.
The dengue virus is endemic in Brazil. Several Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia, are also suffering from a dengue outbreak. Vietnam has listed 6,730 new cases of dengue, with nine deaths.
Most of the victims are children. To protect school children from contracting dengue, education authorities have advised them to wear long maong pants to protect them from mosquito bites. .
The best preventive measure against dengue is to destroy the breeding places of mosquitoes, such as stagnant water in the premises of homes and schools. It is imperative for the people themselves to get involved in the anti-dengue drive by keeping their surroundings safe from mosquitoes.
Cerebral Palsy Protection Week
From September 16 to 22 the Philippines celebrates the third Cerebral Palsy Awareness and Protection Week under the joint auspices of the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons and the Cerebral-Palsied Association of the Philippines Inc.
This year’s theme showcases the potentials and talents of people with cerebral palsy that will pave the way for their productive integration into the mainstream of society.
With the support of the government for persons with disabilities, the dream of erasing in the minds of the people that persons with cerebral palsy are a burden to society is slowly coming to a reality.
Our society now understands the plight of people with cerebral palsy.
More opportunities and challenges are now open for them. A classic example of a cerebral-palsied person is Joinnel Margarito-Enorme, who made a world record in sports as an international ice skating champion. His feats have brought honor to the country.
The government must give people with disabilities, especially those with cerebral palsy, equal rights to enable them to play a modest role in national development.
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