When a member of the family especially school age children are afflicted with dengue, this is alarming and distressing development. Most parents would be wrapped in serious anxiety and emotional distress, since medical management can only do so much, and there is no fool proof guarantee of the outcome.
Dengue is a mosquito borne disease, and which virulent microorganism transmitted through bites, attacks the clotting mechanism of the blood, reducing the platelet count. This is the most dreaded consequence, as internal bleeding will result in shock, if not addressed timely and adequately.
This is the reason why the Department of Heath(DOH) officials should pay more attention to the dengue problem. Aside from the usual warnings, there has to be concerted effort and partnership between the health officials and the community, to eliminate the source of the problem. The recent outbreaks had distressed community resources, as the need for platelets, requires four(4) blood donors for each patient. The local Red Cross made the announcement of that their blood supply is stretched to the limit, and they have to have stores for other emergencies requiring full blood. Most LGUs have already conducted blood typing to have a list of possible donors, who are pre-qualified and pre-screened, for its constitutents.
Public and private hospitals have been filled beyond their usual capacity to accommodate dengue afflicted patients-young and old alike.
At the risk of sounding ancient, some people are asking, if there are SANITARY INSPECTORS, in the plantilla positions of DOH or the local government. The reason is that, in the past, SANITARY INSPECTOIRS would inspect all households, with regards to the cleanliness of the surroundings , proper disposal of garbage,etc. Each household can be located in each barangay through a spot map, at the Rural Health Unit. With all the health alerts regarding dengue, there had been no mention of the sanitary inspectors. Are inspections conducted in the barangays?
The reason why the role of the Sanitary Inspectors had come into focus, is because, if one household cleans its environs and the neighbor does not, then, the dengue mosquito will just transfer its location, and still endanger the whole neighborhood. In other countries like Singapore, sanitary inspectors can inspect even flower vases for the presence of “kiti-kiti”, and impose the corresponding fine or penalty for anyone who has “kiti-kiti”, in his household.
Dengue carrying mosquitos bite from sunrise up to 9:00 a.m. and from 3:00p.m. to nighttime. But, can the DOH , LGUs and the community do more, in terms of prevention and stopping it at the source?
Dengue is a serious health problem, and there has to be more efforts done, to eliminate the problem.
Calling the attention of DOH, LGUs and barangay officials, please enact and implement measures to address the dengue problem!
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