Alarmed by its increasing Dengue cases, Benguet province suspended the wearing of skirt uniform in private and public schools until September.
In a memorandum, Benguet Schools Division Superintendent Marie Carolyn B. Verano notified school heads regarding temporary suspension of wearing of skirt uniform among female learners in support to the national campaign for Dengue risk-free Philippines.
“The suspension shall be for the period of June to September since it is during this rainy season that mosquito breeding sites are rampant and it is likewise the peak of dengue suspect cases,” Verano noted.
Accordingly, the provincial Health Office of Benguet reported that there were already 201 suspected Dengue cases from January to April of this year. This means that there is 64 percent increase than last year’s data on the same period.
The report added that the affected age groups are mostly school children.
Hence, female learners are not prohibited from wearing black slack pants as school uniform.
An immediate medical assistance shall be given to a learner or school employee who shows symptoms of Dengue fever.
Meanwhile, school authorities are advised to regularly clean mosquito breeding sources in the campus by eliminating stagnant water, draining clogged drainage, and following proper waste disposal.
By Nancy Lee B. Banaña
