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BY TIFFANY ANNE TAN
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BACOLOD City –Barangays must be the first line of defense against Zika, according to Sen. RisaHontiveros.
Hontiveros, chairwoman of the Senate committee on health and demography, urged the government to better equip the villages by putting up “super barangay health centers.”
Hontiveros and Department of Health (DOH) officials in Negros Island Region distributed anti-Zika packets in Barangay Alijis on Thursday.
“Noonguna pa langna-detect ng DOH angZikasaPilipinas, nanawagannaakona i-equip iyongatingmga LGUs (local government units) with this anti-Zikavirus packets,” said the senator.
She said the government should “seriously study” putting up health centers similar to Cuba’s consultorios (clinics) and policlinicos (specialty clinics).
Prevention and education is the best response to Zika, Hontiveros stressed.
Each anti-Zika packet contained mosquito nets, mosquito repellents, condoms, and reading materials related to the virus. Around a hundred villagers, including pregnant women, were given the packets.
Hontiveros said they hope to continue distributing more packets all over the region.
“Model munanaminangBarangay Alijiskasiangbarangay secretary is leader naminsaAkbayan,” said the former Akbayan party-list representative.
Interventions for Zika are similar to those for dengue since both diseases have the same vector, the Aedesaegypti mosquitoes, said Dr. Rodolfo Dumayas, DOH-Negros development management officer.
Dengue is deadlier than Zika, but the latter can cause birth defects once pregnant women get infected, Dumayas said./PN
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