Principal to students: Wear pajamas to school to avoid dengue

As more dengue cases are being recorded nationwide, a principal of a public elementary school has come up with an innovative suggestion to help students avoid the deadly disease: wear pajamas to school. Dr. Elvira Dumlao, principal of the Rosa L. Susano-Novaliches Elementary School in Novaliches, Quezon City, said pajamas or clothing that covers arms and legs, unlike school uniforms, lessen a person's chances of being bitten by mosquitoes.

The Rosa L. Susano-Novaliches Elementary School has the largest elementary student population in the country—9,600. Around 29 confirmed cases of dengue have already been recorded in the school, and around 60 more pupils and faculty members were reported to have high grade fever and suspected to have dengue. The school administration thus thought of alternative ways to combat the disease. "We do fumigation once a week, usually on weekends," Dumalo said. "Nabawasan talaga [ang mga lamok], pati na sa community (The number of mosquitoes in the community has gone down)." Water-based insecticide sprays and plants like citronella, eucalyptus and oregano, believed to repel dengue-carrying mosquitoes, were also put in classrooms. Dumlao said the school's health officer regularly checks on students to help diagnose those who may have dengue. However, she admitted that the school does not have the budget to distribute chewable Vitamin C tablets regularly. However, she said part of the campaign is to educate parents on proper nutrition to help students become resistant to dengue and other illnesses. "Kailangan maturuan sila ng kalinisan at pagkaing mayaman sa Vitamin C (We should teach the parents about cleanliness and proper nutrition)," she said.
The school also asked for donations for long-sleeved clothes and long pants for students who do not have spare clothes. "Gumagawa kami ng paraan para sa mga bata, at humihingi na rin kami ng tulong sa gobyerno. Talagang grabe na 'tong dengue na ito. Sana umaksyon na ang gobyerno kasi alarming na (We're asking for donations for the children, and we're also asking help from the government. The dengue situation is alarming and getting worse. I hope the government takes action)," Dumlao said. Dumlao's "kontra-dengue" campaign, launched on Tuesday, includes an information campaign about dengue symptoms and hazards. The campaign also includes a general cleaning of the school and fumigation of the school grounds. Dumlao initiated the campaign because of the "alarming rise" of dengue cases not only in their school but also in the community. "I launched a campaign for cleanliness. Lahat ng binabahayan ng lamok, tinanggal namin (All the places where mosquitoes gather, we have eliminated them)," she said. More than 40,000 cases of dengue have been recorded by the Department of Health in the first seven months of the year alone. This number is much higher than the 27,000 cases recorded in the same period last year. Around 328 people have already died this year because of dengue. –VVP, GMANews.TV