Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has rapidly spread in all regions in recent

years and continued to rise in the country. It was considered alarming for there were
many clustering cases needed to look out for. Nowadays, many people suffer from
dengue. Dengue is the most common viral illness around the world caused by a small
mosquito that can lead to serious medical problems. A dengue fever is not caused by
every mosquito. In fact, it is only caused by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito which carries
the deadly virus.
Dengue fever affects 50 million people a year, about 2.5 billion or 40 percent of the
world’s population live in areas where there is a risk of dengue transmission. A
Dengvaxia vaccine was approved by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration
this year. Though with significant restrictions after the incident of Dengvaxia issue, the
Philippine Department of Health (DOH) temporarily suspended a school-based dengue
vaccination because its product poses higher risk to people without prior dengue
infection.
Some of the students of Tubod National High School (TNHS) were affected with dengue
fever, one of it was Marjorie Ginatilan who was diagnosed with dengue and admitted at
Minglanilla District Hospital on August 2012. After a few days, Marjorie’s mother feared
that she won’t be given prescribed medications due to financial problems. Her family
decided to transfer to another public hospital in Manila where her relatives lived. They
knew that Marjorie will have a better chance of recovering because her relatives
promised to give their full support for her medication.
For more than a year, Dengvaxia vaccines triggered so much concern and confusion as
it was pointed out to be the cause of death to some people who were vaccinated.
Dengue is feared but this does not mean that the people should remain frightened. It is
our responsibility to take actions to prevent this disease. One of the simplest actions is
to maintain a clean environment both in our school and at home.