National Call to Action: The Rising Threat of Dengue and the Need for Collective Efforts
The rising number of Dengue cases, which are especially dangerous for children, requires the whole country to work together and come up with new ways to fight this potentially deadly disease. "A Dengue Dialogue: Protecting our Children from the Epidemic," a recent event put together by the Vaccine Solidarity Movement (VSM), was mainly about this.
 |
| National Call to Action: The Rising Threat of Dengue and the Need for Collective Efforts |
Niña Corpuz-Rodriguez, a famous reporter and event moderator, talked about her own experiences with Dengue, which showed how common the disease is. Her deeply personal experiences connected with the worries of many parents who are looking for effective ways to protect their kids from this crippling illness.
Dengue cases reached their highest level ever in 2023, with the Philippines coming in third. But because the monsoon season was unusually dry, the country didn't have a worse spread. Looking at scary statistics from 2019, it's thought that without this, over 1,000 children could have died of Dengue that year.
Undersecretary of the Department of Health (DOH), Eric Tayag, said that the El Niño event could cause a rise in cases early on. He stressed that the severity of this year's Dengue breakouts would depend on how people in the community behaved and how well control measures worked.
The experts stressed how important it was to use all of the tools we already have to fight dengue right away. Not taking these steps could have terrible results; during the next serious Dengue outbreak, more than 1,000 children could die.
Related: Gov't, private sector, civil societies present fresh strategies vs COVID-19.
The group called for a nationwide effort to fight Dengue that included people from all walks of life. Dr. Benny Atienza talked about an interesting way that kids and adults worked together to do something creative: they made catchy songs to teach kids about the disease and its signs.
Dr. Vicente Belizario Jr. said that the media plays an integral part in making people more aware of Dengue and stressed the significance of education and early diagnosis. He asked the media to help get correct and up-to-date information about Dengue out there.
Even with these problems, there is still hope. Dr. Nina Gloriani, who used to lead the Vaccine Expert Panel for the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), talked about the potential of next-generation vaccines. The TAK-003 vaccine, which is approved in more than 30 countries, looks like an excellent way to stop diseases and lower the number of people who need to go to the hospital.
Undersecretary Tayag said he was willing to think about bringing in a new vaccine, but he stressed how important it was to do a full evaluation process to make sure it was safe and effective.
The Philippines has become a world leader in vaccination efforts after an amazing victory over false information about the COVID-19 vaccine. This victory has motivated the Vaccine Solidarity Movement (VSM) to fight Dengue and other diseases that can be prevented with vaccines, showing their dedication to public health.
There are some excellent solutions in the works for the country, but it is still important to use all of its resources against Dengue to protect future generations before the next health problem happens.