A Hook and Gaze to June: The National Dengue Awareness Month
As rain enters the climate scene, there is more to be minded of. As rain pours, stagnant water adds to the risks and burdens in the widespread of dengue for it will continue to affect communities and countries globally. Amidst the current pandemic brought by COVID-19, dengue is another menace to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) specifically in the Philippines. Information dissemination campaign, prevention and control programs are things to be empowered this month of June- deemed as the National Dengue Awareness Month.
In a mere aspect, dengue has been a threat to human lives for more than decades. The fight against it seeks social mobilization to avoid certain folding cases. This moved the ASEAN Health Ministers on their meeting held last July 22, 2010 to observe ASEAN Dengue Day every 15th of June each year. Earlier than this, the Philippine Government marked the same month as the National Dengue Awareness on March 21, 1998. Based on the concept note of ASEAN Dengue Day 2019, the collective efforts of the community in the ASEAN Regions allow the strengthening of the initiatives of the policy makers in raising awareness on how to battle dengue and aiming the promotion of the effective and efficient program controls for dengue mosquito courier. As identified, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus have been responsible for dengue. In addition, Aedes aegypti breeds in the artificial containers while Aedes albopictus is in domestic containers.
Like the current situation in the health line, a disease like dengue, if not given an adequate strategic prime prevention and control, the number of victims may rise in surprise. The World Health Organization (WHO), Chan, M., released the Global Strategy for Dengue Prevention and Control 2012-2020 to reverse the alarming trend that dengue has been the known as the neglected tropical disease. Henceforth, they have made global strategy. WHO further stated that in order to reverse the trend there should be the commitment of the partner organizations such as countries involved in reducing the burden brought by dengue through the implementation of the following strategies:
- Diagnosis and case management
- Integrated surveillance and outbreak preparedness
- Sustainable vector control
- Future vaccine implementation
- Basic operational and implementation research.
Meanwhile in the Philippines, the battle against dengue is challenging once the rainy season starts. The Philippine National Red Cross’s Emergency Plan of Action for Dengue Outbreak dated July 24, 2019, released that there is a massive increase in dengue cases. Thus, this urged the health department to step up the technical strategies to prevent and control the alert to exceed in epidemic threshold for some of its regions. A part of the preventive control is The 4S in Fighting Against Dengue known as Search and Destroy, Self- Protection Measures, Seek Early Consultation and Say No to Indiscriminate Fogging. Back then in 1997, Dominguez, Ma. N, highlighted that control measures for dengue were instituted as necessary as cases were recorded as early as 1953 and to this recent times the status is set as a threat.
The declaration of the dengue awareness month is the microcosm of the battle against the vectors of the disease, the mosquitoes, that needs community- based approaches to be applied not just in local mainstream but in ASEAN Countries.
