The city government of Taguig on Monday announced it came up with an extensive information campaign to fight dengue.
Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano said Taguig is also maximizing social media and distributing information and education campaign materials for city residents to be fully aware of how to prevent the disease in the community.
“In Taguig, we take the health of our constituents seriously,” Cayetano said, noting that this was in line with his 10-point agenda, particularly addressing the Healthy City program.
Cayetano said the city government will not stop there.
“The city government is doing all that it possibly can to protect its constituents from any disease, including Dengue,” the city chief executive added.
Last week, the city government also distributed long socks to thousands of youngsters, in a bid to introduce “Self-Protection” measures to them.
Self-Protection is an important component of the 4-S campaign which also includes “Search and destroy mosquito-breeding sites,” “Seek early consultation” and “Support fogging/spraying.”
The long socks went to more than 2,800 Daycare, Kinder and Grades 1-3 pupils at EM’S Signal Village Elementary School. Some 1,575 female pupils enrolled in Grades 4-6 are also received two pairs of high-knee socks each.
Starting with the ceremonial distribution in ESVES, the City will also distribute long socks to male and female enrollees from Daycare, Kinder and Grades 1-3 and female students from Grades 4 to 12 in all public elementary and high schools across the city. The initiative will be spearheaded by the City Health Office and Local School Board.
The distribution came after the Dengue Prevention and Control Program, during which pupils and teachers underwent a short lecture on the signs and symptoms of dengue and how to prevent it.
“The students see this kind of campaigns on television but it’s still different when they get to learn and experience it up close, that’s why we’re really grateful,” ESVES Grade 6 teacher Lilia D. Garcia noted.
Schools are just one of the key target areas of Taguig’s comprehensive approach to the nationwide dengue outbreak.
For instance, after the ovitrap trainings, the city government will install ovitraps across the city to prevent the breeding of Aedes aegypti, the main vector transmitting the dengue virus.
The city held the information campaign and distribution program after opening a Dengue Fast Lane and a Dengue Ward at the Taguig Pateros District Hospital.
Prior to this, on July 17-19, barangay captains and other stakeholders participated in the first-ever Taguig Dengue Summit. A few weeks later, Taguig City went on a simultaneous dengue cleanup drive on August 16.
Last Saturday, the local government held the General Parents-Teachers Association: Dengue Summit which encouraged Taguigeño parents and educators to participate in fighting dengue by informing them of effective ways on how to prevent the disease either at home or at school.
Continuing on its programs, the community-based cleanups are continuing without letup. Misting operations are also conducted in areas where several cases were recorded; and barangay health workers, teachers, and even Taguig City University's council trained to use the ovitrap.