With the rising cases of fatal diseases like typhoid fever, dengue, and Covid-19, the Municipal Health Office (MHO) of Bontoc, Moutain Province conducts various information and communication campaigns to educate and capacitate the members of the community against trending diseases.
Diga Kay Gomez, Municipal Health Officer Bontoc, Mountain Province, stressed in an interview that dengue, typhoid fever, and Covid-19 are the trending diseases in the municipality. Although, Covid-19 disease has never been the major problem in the past month, the MHO still closely monitors this, since there are few cases recorded in the past weeks.
From the month of January to June, Bontoc recorded 20 cases of dengue disease. From the last week of May to the first week of June, it was reported that Bontoc recorded 13 positive cases of typhoid fever. Based on the data released by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) as of June 16, 2023, there were eight (8) active cases of Covid-19 recorded in Bontoc.
Mialex Jaena Magrang, MHO Dengue Program Coordinator shared in an interview that in order to prevent the severity of diseases, it is necessary to launch communication campaigns. One of the campaigns that Magrang emphasized is the “Oplan Taob” for combating dengue, and IEC material distribution to equip the community with knowledge and good practices to fight against dengue disease.
Apart from “Oplan Taob”, the MHO also conducts clean-up drive activities. These activities are conducted in partnership with barangay officials, barangay health workers, school representatives, and the community members.
In addition, Gomez also emphasized the use of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials such as leaflets, posters, and brochures as helpful tools to educate people about typhoid fever and Covid-19. These IEC materials contain “Do’s and Don’ts” to prevent the spread of the disease, signs and symptoms, mode of transmission, and diagnosis.
Gomez added that MHO usually distribute IEC materials during community gatherings such as Barangay assembly, Family Development Session (FDS) of 4P’s members, mother’s class, and among others.
Moreover, social media platforms, particularly FaceBook, are also utilized to disseminate information regarding updates on the number of cases of these trending diseases. PHO Mountain Province on the other hand, employs this medium to consistently remind the public to follow health safety protocols, seek consultation, and disseminate other health related concerns.
With an aim to fully mitigate the inclining diseases, community participation is believed to play a great role in the process.
“Community participation can contribute a lot in controlling the spread of the disease. Also, it keeps the community healthy”, said Gomez. By Via E. Ligtas
