School kids learn dengue self-defense in “Green Cross School Crashers”

CHILDREN ARE AT GREATER RISK of dengue infection, according to the Department of Health. Kids of ages 10 years and below need to level up their protection against this serious, potentially deadly disease—whether they are at home or in school.

This is why the Green Cross School Crashers campaign is a very important frontline effort to defend school children against dengue. The Green Cross School Crashers team goes to various schools in Metro Manila to empower school children by teaching them proper habits that will protect them from dengue lamok or dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

The latest site of the Green Cross School Crashers campaign is Paco Catholic School, where elementary school kids learned about the two “school crashers” that they need to watch out for: Daytime Dengue Lamok, and Nighttime Dengue Lamok.

The Green Cross School Crashers team held two interactive learning sessions in the campus on November 19th, one for Grade Four and another for Grade Six students.

Paco Catholic School Director Msgr. Rolando Dela Cruz, is happy that the students displayed much enthusiasm and learning during their participation in the interactive educational session held by the Green Cross School Crashers team for the kids.  

Though Paco Catholic School has recorded low dengue cases – 9 out of 2822 grade school students and 7 out of 2689 high school students – the school is very cooperative and welcomed the Green Cross School Crashers team. 

Double threat

One of the most important things that the Paco Catholic School kids learned is that there are actually two types, or species, of dengue lamok. one species, Aedes aegypti, bites during the day, while the other species, Aedes albopictus, bites at night.

For many, many years, people believed that Ae.aegypti was the only threat. Recently, however, Filipino entomologists discovered that another dengue lamok, Ae. albopictus, also threatens kids and families with dengue during nighttime.

So that kids can easily understand this new scientific discovery and other concepts about dengue and dengue lamok, they are taught by the Green Cross Crashers team using games, songs, dances, story-telling sessions and interaction with the Green Cross Ambassador, Ms. Green, and the two mascots: Daytime Dengue Lamok and Nighttime Dengue Lamok.

These various activities help kids understand that the threat of dengue is now double, with dengue lamok biting during the day and at night. This double threat of dengue is more worrisome when DOH statistics are considered:

Based on a DOH report, the national dengue cases from January to September 2012 now reached 95,142.  This figure is 12.94% higher compared to the same period last year which was 84, 244 cases.  DOH has also detailed that the prime dengue victims are mostly children under 10 years of age because of their weaker immune systems. 

Dengue defense

Ms. Green shared information on what students and parents can do to prevent dengue lamok from breeding. For example, getting rid of stagnant water in the house and its surroundings; this is because stagnant water is a mosquito breeding site.  

Ms. Green taught the school kids the special Day and Night Dengue Lamok Defense stance.   The stance is similar to a karate block—and while the gesture is symbolic, it derived its effectiveness from the kids’ natural affinity for movement, mimicry, and play.

Other preventive measures discussed included: wearing of long pants and long sleeved shirts; and applying insect repellent lotion to prevent mosquitoes from landing on and biting the kids’ skin.  

Green Cross Insect Repellent Lotion is clinically proven to protect against Daytime Dengue Lamok and Nighttime Dengue Lamok. It also provides the  anti-bacterial protection that the Green Cross brand is known and trusted to provide.

While dengue lamok continue to lurk around us, the Paco Catholic School kids now know how to protect themselves, thanks to Green Cross School Crashers.  Aside from the new learning the students got from the Green Cross School Crashers, Paco Catholic School personnel regularly do fumigation and clearing of stagnant water within the school’s surroundings. The school also often coordinates with its barangay for new health programs and echoes these learnings to its students and teachers.

Other Metro Manila schools that have already joined the campaign against dengue include St. Scholastica’s College Manila; St .Scholastica’s College Marikina, St. Pedro Poveda, Manila Cathedral School, Notre Dame of Greater Manila, St. Mary’s Academy of Caloocan, Diliman Preparatory School, Sienna College, St. Jude Catholic School, Philippine Cultural College, Pasig Catholic College, University of Perpetual Help, Lourdes School of Mandaluyong, Divine Light Academy, Paref Southridge School and MGC New Life School.

For more details on Green Cross School Crashers, visit www.facebook.com/greencrossphilippines or call Green Cross hotline at 0917 976 5980.