DOH to Public: Keep Safe from Dengue this Rainy Season

(PNA) — The Department of Health (DOH) reiterated on Friday its reminder to the public to prevent dengue by maintaining clean surroundings, especially during the rainy season when a usual uptrend of dengue cases is noted.

“Muli naming pinaalalahanan ang publiko na mag-ingat sa dengue, lalo na ngayong rainy season,” DOH spokesperson Dr. Lyndon Lee-Suy said.

He made the reminder after the reported death of a pregnant mother and her baby in La Union because of dengue.

The woman died after suffering severe blood loss due to hemorrhagic fever caused by the dengue virus, which also resulted to the death of her baby.

According to Dr. Lee Suy, it is important that if any member of the family is having symptoms of dengue, he or she should not hesitate to consult a doctor and undergo check-up.

“Pag may naramdaman, agad magpacheck-up, kung hindi man dengue baka may ibang sakit na dapat na i-address,” Lee-Suy said.

Among the signs of dengue are nose bleeding, restlessness and persistent vomiting.

Citing that dengue can lead to death if not treated early, the DOH spokesperson advised the public to continue practicing the “4 o’clock habit: Stop, Look and Listen.”

“Stop” means to halt what you are doing and concentrate on the task of performing mosquito control methods.

“Look” means to begin searching and destroying possible breeding sites for mosquitoes.

“Listen” refers to instructions from work supervisors, barangay officials or any local authorities so that implementation of the habit is synchronous.

“Also listen to updates on the current dengue status in your respective communities,” Dr. Lee-Suy said.

The DOH spokesperson added that it is important to exercise self-protection by wearing long-sleeved shirts or putting on mosquito repellant lotions.

He also urged the local government units (LGUs) to spearhead community-wide monitoring or detection and elimination of mosquito breeding sites in their areas to prevent dengue.

He cited that clean-up activities and dengue spraying can help a lot to eliminate the threat of dengue. (PNA) SCS/LSJ/EDS