Dengue Alert!

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The rainy season has officially started and this time is also the peak of the dengue season here in the Philippines. With this in mind, the University of Bohol has thrown its full support behind the 4 O’clock habit, an annual anti-dengue campaign of the DOH.

The 4 O’clock Habit is a strategy that mobilizes communities to take the time to “search and destroy possible mosquito-breeding places” every day at 4 p.m. Such cleaning of surroundings done before the evening is critical to reducing the risk of dengue, as mosquitos carrying the disease are most active at dusk.

Together with the 4 o’clock habit, the DOH has launched the “Enhanced 4-S,” another dengue prevention and awareness campaign. The Enhanced 4-S campaign stands for:

  1. Search and destroy mosquito-breeding sites
  2. Secure self-protection measures like wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts and daily use of mosquito repellent,
  3. Seek early consultation for these signs and symptoms: sudden onset of fever of 2 to 7 days, plus two of the following: headache, body weakness, joint and muscle pains, pain behind the eyes, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and skin rashes.
  4. Support fogging/spraying only in hotspot areas where an increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent an impending outbreak.