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.”

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.

Green Cross School Crashers Invades Paco Catholic School!

Dengue is something not to be taken lightly as it affects a lot of people especially in our tropical climate where breeding mosquitoes can multiply exponentially, and with the latest study that the type of mosquitoes are not exclusively biting during daytime but in the night as well.

This indeed sets alarms for parents for their children especially for those who are actively playing outdoors like playgrounds, streets and even at school. Luckily, Green Cross, maker of one of the most trusted alcohol brands launched earlier this year the Green Cross Insect Repellent Lotion which aims to prevent the spread of dengue to the community. And they are on a school "raid" to different schools to save students from the threat of Dengue.