My Blog

Health is a precious commodity and measured as wealth. It is also something that we carefully taking cared of despite the presence of different things that can significantly affect our physical condition.

Few months ago, the world experienced terror about the dreaded swine flu virus called the Influenza A (H1N1). The illness was rapidly spreading infecting a lot of people almost to all parts of the globe. The number of cases skyrocketed immediately to thousands especially in countries like USA, Mexico, Canada, Hong Kong, and Japan. At first, many people panic due to the lack of education on how to stop the disease. Eventually, a lot of people die especially those who were considered “vulnerable” like children and elderly; and those who had pre-existing conditions such as Hypertension, Cardiovascular problems, and Immuno-compromised individuals that were being aggravated by the illness.

Moreover, even our country was successfully penetrated by this awful swine flu virus resulting to temporary suspension of classes of many colleges and universities across the nation. Consequently, a number of Filipinos lost their lives. Likewise, the people of Koronadal City were tremendously distressed by this pandemic as there were documented and confirmed cases occurred here.

Fortunately, the numbers of cases nowadays are considerably and steadily declining. The efforts of the government to teach people on how to protect themselves are effectively embraced. Simple and consistent handwashing and keeping ourselves healthy can greatly spare us from the outbreak.

Interestingly, according to Philippine Daily Inquirer, September 23, 2009 issue, the RP government will buy 100 million worth of swine flu vaccines. In a statement, Health Secretary Franscisco Duque III, said, “the highest priority will be given to susceptible groups such as frontline health care providers, pregnant women, people with co-morbid conditions, as well as the very young and the very old with immuno-compromised health status”.

On the other hand, another problem that caught my attention is Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever. The mosquito-borne disease dengue has become unstoppable due to climate change, according to global health experts who advised nations to institute more aggressive elimination drives to stem the disease that sickens over 50 million and kills 24,000 worldwide every year.

Cold temperature kills adult mosquitoes, including their larvae, limiting the population of dengue carrying mosquitoes. However, global warming has disrupted this natural procedure, resulting to increased mosquito populations and consequently of dengue worldwide.

The Department of Health (DOH) and the Local Government Units all over the Philippines are seriously monitoring the influx of cases since we are experiencing rainy season. As of September 1, 2009, there are a total of 16,317 dengue cases reported nationwide according to the dengue disease surveillance report of the DOH.

The areas that posted the highest dengue cases this year are NCR, Davao del Sur, Batangas, Rizal, Iloilo, Guimaras, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, and Nueva Ecija.

Besides, what is more important is that, we should always look after ourselves. We can easily eradicate the probability of having the sickness by covering water drums and water pails at all times to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Replacing water in flower vases once a week. Cleaning all water containers once a week. Scrubbing the sides well to remove eggs of mosquitoes sticking to the sides. Cleaning gutters of leaves and debris so that rainwater will not collect as breeding places of mosquitoes. Old tires used as roof support should be punctured or cut to avoid accumulation of water. Collecting and disposing all unusable tin cans, jars, bottles and other items that can collect and hold water. Finally, I believe that through proper education and awareness, people will become more powerful in controlling and maintaining their health over the virulence of bacteria, viruses, and other opportunistic pathogens.