DepEd, DOH, DSWD team up to combat dengue in schools nationwide

In its continued commitment to promote and provide a safer and healthier learning environment for Filipino learners, the Department of Education (DepEd) has joined forces with the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in battling dengue through the continued installation of insecticide-treated screens (ITS) in public schools during the launching of Brigada Para sa Kalinisan.

Brigada para sa Kalinisan aims to gather local community leaders, parents, and schools to work together in keeping the environment sanitized to prevent dengue in schools and communities. DOH has recently distributed 20,000 ITS rolls to selected public elementary schools in different parts of the country.

ZAP away dengue-carrying mosquitoes this summer

Summer fun is just around the corner as classes wrap-up and both kids and parents look forward to the school holidays. This means trips to the beach, vacations in the provinces, or simply just more days playing outdoors to enjoy the carefree season. There’s one risk, however, that we should look out for this summer: dengue-carrying mosquitoes. We should take steps to prevent a potentially fatal dengue infection from ruining summer for us and our loved ones.

Dengue is already a year-round disease in the Philippines. And in the summer, we tend to spend more time outdoors, wear thinner clothing, and expose more skin because of the heat. This makes us an easier target for dengue-carrying mosquitoes that bite during the day (mosquito species A. albopictus) and during the night (A. aegypti). Both of these species of dengue-carrying mosquitoes are present outdoors and indoors, increasing the risk of dengue infection for everyone.

To have a dengue-free summer, especially for the kids, here are a few reminders on prevention:

Put screens over windows and install screen doors. Screens on windows and screen doors will keep dengue-carrying mosquitoes out while still allowing us to open the doors and windows of our home so it won’t be so hot on summer days and nights.

Five Tips for a Dengue Free Holiday

As soon as the air takes on a chilly nip, the radio plays Christmas songs and the streets explode with colorful lights, you know that the holiday season is just around the corner. By this time, we say goodbye to typhoons (although a couple might try to sneak through) and expect good, cool weather until January of next year. What doesn't leave, however, is dengue which has now become a year-round issue. Falling ill with the infection amid the merriment of the season is not only a depressing thought but a real concern, since most of us will be exposed outdoors (doing our shopping, attending parties, hearing the early morning Mass) more than the usual. Fortunately, we can arm ourselves with a handful of precautions against dengue-lamok. Here’s a list of them:

HEALTHY LYF - Kat de Castro: A mother vigilant against dengue

When broadcast journalist Kat de Castro noticed that her nine-year-old daughter Khloe—an exuberant, active and outdoor-loving child—was falling ill and burning with fever, she immediately rushed her to the hospital. The doctors diagnosed the illness dengue in its early stage. “It’s a good thing naagapan kaagad,” Kat says. “We found out that she contracted it from her school. That was the time I decided that she should wear an insect repellent even when just going to school.”

Kat found an ally in Green Cross Insect Repellent Lotion Gentle Protect, which is clinically proven to be safe for a child’s skin and offers protection against insect bites (specifically against the dreaded dengue-lamok) for up to eight hours.

“Green Cross is a brand that we have known for generations already,” she says. “Even my mom and my dad use it. When I found out that the company has an insect repellent lotion, hindi ka na magdadalawang-isip eh. You are assured that you are protected at walang magiging problema kasi trusted brand.”

Captain Green Trains Children against Dengue

When Captain Green goes to a school for a visit, you know he has an important message to say.

In an effort to turn youngsters to be “Dengue Defenders,” Green Cross Insect Repellent Gentle Protect is bringing an interactive program featuring Captain Green to schools all over the country. Helped by a chock-full of visuals, song-and-dance presentations and audience participation, the hero will deliver the newest information about the disease and the ways to zap its culprit —the dreaded dengue-lamok. The mosquito villain will also be present buzzing around but will ultimately be defeated by Captain Green.

Green Cross provides Anton del Rosario active protection against Dengue

On- and off-field, football hero
Anton del Rosario trusts
Green Cross Insect Repellent Active
Protect to give him 10-hour protection from
day and night dengue mosquitoes.

Athletes don’t leave any stones unturned. Take football hero Anton del Rosario for instance. The booter, who currently plays for Kaya (a team under the United Football League) and used to be one of the more prominent faces in the national football team Azkals, is already on the soccer field even before sunrise. With training that lasts until late in the afternoon six times a week, there is no question with regard to Anton’s commitment in being the best in the game.

But being outdoors for such a lengthy period of time and in various weather conditions—from scorching heat to pounding rain—poses a host of challenges, such as heatstroke and physical injury. Another is being bitten by dengue-lamok and contracting the dreaded disease. The risk inevitably increases when athletes have to compete in various sports venues across the country and Asia. Because of dengue, his ex-teammate from Azkals OJ Porteria missed the AFF Suzuki Cup, the tournament which Anton played in 2010.

HEALTHY LYF: Dengue Tops Moms Most Feared Diseases

Together with the common flu, typhoid, hepatitis, among others, dengue is up there in the list as one of the most dreaded diseases that moms worry their kids may contract. Unlike the other illnesses mentioned, dengue doesn’t have a vaccine that can provide immediate protection.

Prevalent in tropical countries such as the Philippines, dengue affects people differently. While others may stop at having flu-like symptoms such as high fever and muscle-and-joint pains and rash, others suffer life-threatening complications. A few succumb to Dengue Shock Syndrome, in which the patient’s white blood cells drop to a dangerous level, leading to internal bleeding. In some of these cases, dengue becomes fatal.

While it is true that all people, regardless of age, can be infected with dengue, statistics from the Department of Health’s National Epidemiology Center show that it is children and adolescents who are hit the hardest. Almost half of the dengue cases last year were from 5 to 14 years old age range.

HEALTHY LYF: New Study About Dengue and Green Cross New Lotion Against Insects

A recent study about a breed of mosquitoes called Aedes albopictus which has been known to carry the Dengue Virus has now been discovered to bite not only on daytime but also at night. This sets an alarm to the public as it is not exclusive in the day. The study was made by the Philippine Association of Entomologists (PAE) which  reported an increased threat of dengue against communities. Through a clinical study conducted by Filipino entomologists, it has been confirmed that a dengue-lamok species (dengue-carrying mosquitoes) bite not only during the day but at night as well. 

This breakthrough discovery debunks a common belief that dengue-lamok only bite at daytime, and that there is little or no threat of dengue at night.


“Many people believe that dengue lamok only bite during the day. This makes them feel more complacent at night, as they think there’s no more risk of dengue infection. However, this new study shows that the danger of dengue is now more serious, since infection can occur both during the day and at night,” said Dr. Barbara Laviña Caoili, PAE Secretary.