CHILDREN ARE AT GREATER RISK of dengue infection,
according to the Department of Health. Kids of ages 10 years and below need to
level up their protection against this serious, potentially deadly
disease—whether they are at home or in school.
This is why the Green Cross School Crashers campaign
is a very important frontline effort to defend school children against dengue.
The Green Cross School Crashers team goes to various schools in Metro Manila to
empower school children by teaching them proper habits that will protect them
from dengue lamok or dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
The latest site of the Green Cross School Crashers
campaign is Paco Catholic School, where elementary school kids learned about
the two “school crashers” that they need to watch out for: Daytime Dengue
Lamok, and Nighttime Dengue Lamok.
The Green Cross School Crashers team held
two interactive learning sessions in the campus on November 19th, one for Grade
Four and another for Grade Six students.
Paco Catholic School Director Msgr. Rolando Dela Cruz, is happy that the students displayed much enthusiasm
and learning during their participation in the interactive educational session
held by the Green Cross School Crashers team for the kids.
Though Paco Catholic School has recorded
low dengue cases – 9 out of 2822 grade school students and 7 out of 2689 high
school students – the school is very cooperative and welcomed the Green Cross
School Crashers team.
Double threat
One of the most important things that the
that there are actually two types, or species, of dengue lamok. one species, Aedes aegypti, bites during the day,
while the other species, Aedes albopictus,
bites at night.
For many, many years, people believed that
Ae.aegypti was the only threat.
Recently, however, Filipino entomologists discovered that another dengue lamok,
Ae. albopictus, also threatens kids
and families with dengue during nighttime.
So that kids can easily understand this
new scientific discovery and other concepts about dengue and dengue lamok, they
are taught by the Green Cross Crashers team using games, songs, dances,
story-telling sessions and interaction with the Green Cross Ambassador, Ms.
Green, and the two mascots: Daytime Dengue Lamok and Nighttime Dengue Lamok.
These various activities help kids
understand that the threat of dengue is now double, with dengue lamok biting
during the day and at night. This double threat of dengue is more worrisome
when DOH statistics are considered:
Based on a DOH report, the national dengue
cases from January to September 2012 now reached 95,142. This figure is 12.94% higher compared to the
same period last year which was 84, 244 cases.
DOH has also detailed that the prime dengue victims are mostly children
under 10 years of age because of their weaker immune systems.
Dengue defense
Ms. Green shared information on what students and
parents can do to prevent dengue lamok from breeding. For example, getting rid
of stagnant water in the house and its surroundings; this is because stagnant
water is a mosquito breeding site.
Ms. Green taught the school kids the special Day and
Night Dengue Lamok Defense stance. The
stance is similar to a karate block—and while the gesture is symbolic, it
derived its effectiveness from the kids’ natural affinity for movement,
mimicry, and play.
Other preventive measures discussed included: wearing
of long pants and long sleeved shirts; and applying insect repellent lotion to prevent mosquitoes from
landing on and biting the kids’ skin.
Green Cross Insect Repellent Lotion is clinically
proven to protect against Daytime Dengue Lamok and Nighttime Dengue Lamok. It
also provides the anti-bacterial
protection that the Green Cross brand is known and trusted to provide.
While dengue lamok continue to lurk around us, the
to protect themselves, thanks to Green Cross School Crashers. Aside from the new learning the students got
from the Green Cross School Crashers,
regularly do fumigation and clearing of stagnant water within the school’s
surroundings. The school also often coordinates with its barangay for new
health programs and echoes these learnings to its students and teachers.
Other Metro Manila schools that have
already joined the campaign against dengue include St. Scholastica’s College
Manila; St .Scholastica’s College Marikina, St. Pedro Poveda, Manila Cathedral
School, Notre Dame of Greater Manila, St. Mary’s Academy of Caloocan, Diliman
Preparatory School, Sienna College, St. Jude Catholic School, Philippine
Cultural College, Pasig Catholic College, University of Perpetual Help, Lourdes
School of Mandaluyong, Divine Light Academy, Paref Southridge School and MGC
New Life School.
For more details on Green Cross School Crashers, visit www.facebook.com/greencrossphilippines
or call Green Cross hotline at 0917 976 5980.
