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.
