Philippine Red Cross prepares for dengue season

Via Relief Web :

" With the onset of the rainy season, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) reminded its chapters nationwide through a two-page administrative memo to prepare for dengue occurrences in the country.

According to Administrative Memo No. 61, the Community Health and Nursing Services (CHNS) of the PRC advised all the organization's chapters to devise a community-based dengue prevention program to create an increased awareness among communities.

Indicated in the memo are the guidelines to help the Red Cross chapters plan for a dengue prevention campaign involving priority communities. These include identifying priority areas, organizing community health volunteers (CHVs) from the group of 143 volunteers, mobilizing CHVs to conduct cleanup drives to destroy mosquito-breeding sites in the community and monitoring dengue occurrences in barangays.

"The rainy season has already started. Communities should be on the lookout for killer diseases such as dengue," said PRC Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang.

The Department of Health (DOH) says dengue is an acute infectious disease manifested initially with fever. It is transmitted by Aedes aegypti, a day-biting mosquito which lays eggs in clear and stagnant water found in flower vases, cans, rain barrels, old rubber tires and other containers. Signs and symptoms include fever, joint and muscle pain, weakness, skin rashes, abdominal pain, dark-colored stools and vomiting of coffee-colored matter.

In April 2010, DOH recorded at least 4,000 dengue cases, a 50-percent increase from the same period in 2009."

South Darfur : 107 babies die from mysterious fever in Nyala

Via ReliefWeb :

" The death toll from a yet identified fever has risen to 107 infants in Nyala, South Darfur State. Since March to May, 988 babies have been infected with the raging fever which can inflict death within 48 hours of delivery.

Miraya's correspondent in Nyala toured the town's main hospital and described the situation as catastrophic, observing that two to three new born babies share a bed.

Lack of air- conditioning coupled by Nyala's scorching temperatures have aggravated the overcrowded hospital, causing a stench to pervade the wards.

Speaking to Radio Miraya, Head of Nyala hospital, Dr. Mubarak Abdelrahman, said that pollution in the area surrounding the birth centres or homes, polluted water or temperature rises could be some probably causes of the yet identified fever.

According to Miraya correspondent in Nyala, the State health authorities have requested the Federal Minister of Health, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to assist in identifying the disease. "