Manila steps up campaign to combat dengue
Number of fatal cases exceed record
Manila: The Philippine government has stepped up its drive warning the public about the dangers of the dengue scourge as the number of victims of the deadly tropical disease has reach record highs.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona said his department is increasing its information campaign in schools and villages across the country as the number of dengue cases rose to 62,503 between January and August this year.
"This figure is 88.8 per cent higher than last year's 33,102 for the same period. There have been 465 deaths recorded so far this year," Ona said, while pointing out that last year was 350.
He added that informing the public of the dangers is the best way to combat it. Due to the huge number of patients suffering from dengue and the lack of capacity of hospitals to accommodate them, health officials are now encouraging home care.
"Instead of confining patients in a hospital facility, parents and care givers can practice the ‘Dengue' strategy," Ona said.
Dengue is the acronym of the health department's basic instructions in caring for a dengue patient.
‘Dengue' in this case stands for:
- Daily monitoring of patient's status;
- Encouraging intake of oral fluids like oral rehydration salts, water and juices;
- Note any dengue warning signs like persistent vomiting and bleeding;
- Give paracetamol, and not aspirin, for fever, because aspirin induces bleeding;
- Use mosquito nets, and
- Early consultation is advised for any warning signs.
No cure
"There's still no cure or vaccination for dengue and that's why we must focus on other cost-effective interventions, the most important of which is source reduction — the destruction of the dengue-carrying mosquitoes," Ona emphasised.
The health department is looking into other potential strategies to combat dengue such as the use of vaccines against all four dengue strains, the genetic modification of the dengue-carrying mosquitoes, and even the use of herbal alternatives.
