Reassessing dengue awareness: What most people may not know

In order to raise awareness among the Lasallian community regarding the dire effects of increasing dengue cases especially during the current rainy season, Societas Vitae (SV) held a dengue seminar earlier today entitled “Beware, Be Aware: Dengue” at the seventh floor of the Andrew building.

The guest speakers included University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (UERMMMC) representative Lara Hernandez, De La Salle University (DLSU) Assistant Professor Thadeus Carvajal and University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) Assistant Lecturer Marilen Parungao-Balolong, all of whom discussed facts on the treatment, transmission and components of the dengue virus that doesn’t come as readily available information to most people. Furthermore, various scientific facts among the known carriers of the dengue virus, Aedes Aegypti and Aedes Albopictus, was also discussed in the seminar.

Recent concerns on dengue

On the current dengue statistics in the Philippines conducted throughout January to June this 2013, a total of 44,207 dengue cases, which involved 193 fatalities, was recorded. Compared to the previous year’s statistics, which involved 51,597 cases, there was a decline in this year’s cases of dengue. Hernandez furthers that most areas in Metro Manila serve as primary breeding grounds of mosquitoes especially during rainy seasons, which usually span from July to September. Hernandez also notes that in most cases, patients recover from the virus in two to seven days.

Carvajal focused his discussion on the life cycle of the mosquito and the transmission of the dengue virus. To complete its life cycle, the mosquito would take two weeks, which involves the egg, larval and adult stages. Once the mosquito gets infected by the dengue virus, it will then be passed on to her offsprings and onto later generations of its species. On the other hand, Carvajal notes that female mosquitoes are generally the ones which bite, therefore transmitting the virus into the human body. Humans are also the preferred host of the female mosquito, since our blood is composed of proteins and enzymes which promote the development of their eggs. Carvajal furthers that dengue is mostly prevalent in tropical countries. However, due to changes in the global climate, which evidently favored the development and proliferation of the mosquito’s eggs, dengue is now widely spread and reached even non-tropical countries like the United States.

As the last speaker, Parungao-Balolong discussed the development of the dengue virus itself. The virus involves four different types: Dengue I, II, III, and IV. Among these four dengue types, there are three manifestations of fever involved: dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. All of which have varying levels of severity which are more easily propagated when an individual has a weak immunity to the virus. Parungao-Balolong furthers that the symptoms of dengue are non-specific; meaning, its symptoms are also found in common health conditions such as influenza. Lastly, she notes that dengue viruses have the capacity to mutate due to the flexibility of its genes, which can alter its overall structure.

Initiatives held to control the virus

Currently, a licensed vaccine for dengue hasn’t been developed yet, and is projected to be produced only in 2016. However, the Philippine government tackles on controlling the virus through several health advisories and advocacies which seek to raise the awareness among the Filipino people. Furthermore, ongoing researches are also being conducted which utilizes herbal treatments, and are found to be effective on countering the virus. An instrument has also been produced, which could immediately detect whether or not an individual is infected by the dengue virus. Parungao-Balolong ends the discussion by saying, “the dengue virus could barely be eliminated, but could only be lessened and controlled.”