Here's Yaya's Checklist to Protect Her Alaga From Dengue

As part of the Allied Against Dengue movement, we've been spreading dengue awareness this month of July. We're glad many of you shared our story on the 4’o’clock habit habit. We encourage you to do it every day and to educate your yaya as well. As someone who is part of your household and cares for your home and family, it’s important she knows what she can do to keep dengue away, too. Have a chat with yaya and discuss these points:

1.  Check on her alaga before he leaves for school. 
It’s during the rainy season that dengue cases rise (the chances of stagnant water pooling are higher). The Department of Health (DOH) advises self-protection measures that include wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, and using insect repellents.

Tell yaya to make sure her alaga is wearing the proper attire before he leaves for school every day. Some schools advise their pupils to wear a specific outfit during the rainy season. If this isn’t the case, you can ask yaya to make sure her alaga is always brings a jacket with him. 

Ask her to remind her alaga to apply insect repellent whenever he goes outside. If the child is below 11 years old, an adult--like yaya--should apply the lotion on him, as advised by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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2. Search and destroy.
Dengue-carrying mosquitoes are most active at dusk, just before evening. That’s why the DOH is encouraging everyone to practice the 4’o’clock habit. It’s the ideal time we look for and destroy all possible mosquito breeding grounds every day at 4 p.m. Ask yaya to check and do this list of tasks in compliance: 

• Change the water in vases once a week
• Check plants and plant pots for pools of water
• Make sure the gutters are clean and free from blockages
• Clean the inside and outside of pails (timba) and other water containers
• Check that water hasn’t pooled at the bottom of the plate rack or under the refrigerator
• Cover water drums and other water storages
• Turn over all empty water containers like those used for doing the laundry (palangana at batsa)

3. Know the symptoms of dengue. 
Yaya should be familiar with the symptoms of a dengue fever so she’ll be able to spot it when her alaga--or anyone else in the family including her--becomes ill. She should also be prepared of how to give treatment to a child dengue, which includes knowing that paracetamol should be the only medication given for a fever caused by the disease. More details on the symptoms and treatment of dengue can be found here. 

Dengue is a deadly illness. Last year, 6,000 people died because of it. Remind yaya that being active in the fight against it is crucial especially now during the rainy season. 

The information above came from a booklet provided by the DOH as a primer for dengue. It’s written in Filipino and good source for yaya to read as well. The booklet is distributed in schools and is titled “ToDOH Laban sa Dengue.”

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