The menacing disease called Dengue
After Malaria, Dengue is the most important mosquito borne disease to affect humans. What makes it so critical is that most of the cases that resulted to death are recurring in the third world countries like the Philippines.
Say, this year (and we are talking of January to September 2007), some 13,468 cases with 167n deaths have been reported. The low income communities have been badly hit by the epidemic.
Such as attributed to poor health nutrition and admittedly lack of efficient health services. These are mostly in the mostly mosquito prone areas (slums and squatters along "esteros").
But social situations haven't been the sole qualification for the dengue onslaught. The disease has endured where practice and attitude unmindful of cleanliness prevail.
The disease comes with pictures of high fever with no localized source of infection. The infectious disease which is manifested by a sudden onset of fever, severe headache, muscle and joint pains and sometimes severe pain. That gives the name break bone fever may have been inadvertently passed on by a traveler from some tropical areas to his/her home country. However, patients with dengue can definitely pass on the infection through a mosquito and also through any blood products while they are still febrile.
The classic dengue which lost to about six to seven days can succumb to a hemorrhagic fever. This is where the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified four criteria for the existence of a full blown of dengue. Primarily, that the patient has fever, vomiting blood (tendency), narrow pulse presence and evident plasma leakage.
The name of the disease – Dengue which continues to plaque the country (the poor in particular) to some schools of thought originated from a sort of tribal or indigenous cultural term " Dingo" which means evil spirit.
Dengue which has been known since the 18th century- and has also plagued any other countries in Asia, and the Americans countries of Paraguay, Peru and Chile.
How much and how else have these conscious countries made to eradicate the menacing disease- should reviewed and totally studied in the Philippines- by the local government units in particular.
And this means the participation, cooperation and education of the inhabitants- especially in communities where the indigents and the less educated reside. If this is not done now, when? And if not by Filipinos? by whom?
(Susana B. Panganiban, MA. ED. is the School Head of Taal Elementary School, Molo, Iloilo City.)