• is an acute infectious disease manifested initially with fever.

Transmission

Aedes aegypti, the transmitter of the disease, is a daybiting mosquito which lays eggs in clear and stagnant water found in flower vases, cans, rain barrels,old rubber tires, etc. The adult mosquitoes rest in dark places of the house.

Signs and Symptoms

• Sudden onset of high fever which may last 2 to 7 days.
• Joint & muscle pain and pain behind the eyes.
• Weakness
• Skin rashes – maculopapular rash or red tiny spots on the skin called petechiae
• Nosebleeding when fever starts to subside
• Abdominal pain
• Vomiting of coffee-colored matter
• Dark-colored stools

Prevention and Control
• Cover water drums and water pails at all times to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
• Replace water in flower vases once a week.
• Clean all water containers once a week. Scrub the sides well to remove eggs of mosquitoes sticking to the sides.
• Clean gutters of leaves and debris so that rain water will not collect as breeding places of mosquitoes.
• Old tires used as roof support should be punctured or cut to avoid accumulation of water.
• Collect and dispose all unusable tin cans, jars, bottles and other items that can collect and hold water.

Note: from HEALTH ADVISORY . National Center for Health Promotion. National Center for Disease Prevention and Control

For more health advisories visit alagangnars.com

Ninety seven percent of the water supply for Metro-Manila comes directly from Angat Dam, with the 3 to 4 % supplied by ground water from deep wells. The worst has come, water in Angat Dam is at 157.7 meters, 22 meters below the critical level.

The lowest water level recorded in Angat Dam happened in 1998, was 158.15 meters. In 1998, the customer base was only 3.3 million, in 2010, there are approximately 6.1 million. Demand for water has been high because of commercialization and the proliferation of condominiums and subdivisions.

The hardest hit areas are the ones serviced by Maynilad Water, one of the two water concessionaires; the other one is Manila Water. Maynilad water service area covers the West Zone. These areas include: Caloocan, Las Piñas, Malabon, Manila, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Pasay, Parañaque, Valenzuela, parts of Quezon City, a part of Makati, Cavite City, and the municipalities of Rosario, Imus, Noveleta, Bacoor, and Kawit in Cavite.

Metro Manila residents are experiencing six-hour water service reductions. The said water service reductions will last until July 23, or perhaps until water levels in Angat Dam return to its normal levels. Maybe we need another “Ondoy” to fill the Angat Dam to its normal level.

What I am afraid about this development would be the implications on health. Will our water be safe for drinking? That can mean surge of diarrheal diseases, if water is not handled in a sanitary manner. People will stock water in containers, and Dengue mosquito loves clear stagnant water as their breeding ground. Dengue cases in Metro Manila have increased in the last six months. In addition, hand washing is the standard way of preventing any infection.

The clear view is we have to make a remedy now, because water demand by 2016, will be enormous. We all have to do our share, water is life!

In line with this, The One Million Safe Schools and Hospitals Campaign is a global advocacy initiative to make schools and hospitals safer from disasters. This initiative is part of the 2010-2011 World Disaster Risk Reduction Campaign on “Building Resilient Cities – My city is getting ready!”

Spread the Word ! Help promote the campaign

You can help make schools and hospitals safer through a simple click.

So, sign up and make a pledge to make our schools and hospitals a safe place not only for us, but also for the generations to come.

Just go to the Safe-Schools-Hospitals website and follow the easy-to-follow steps. You can also make your pledge through the campaign’s Facebook page.

You can help by using the campaign counter in your e-mail signature, adding the campaign graphic in your website, sending a tweet or posting an item in FaceBook about the campaign.

Post this poster in your school or hospital

I_Pledge_Poster2

“Kabilang Ka” is the slogan of the Philippines National Statistics Office  (NSO) in conducting the 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH) beginning May 17 to June 14, 2010. This aims to take an inventory of the country’s total population and characteristics as well as living quarters in the country.

This up- to- date statistics will serve as a guide for our government planners and policy makers in terms of budget allotment and future local government development projects. Census questionnaires will include demographic and socio-economic characteristics, plus housing variables.

About 67, 000 personnel will be sent to the field as enumerators (Data collectors) to implement 2010 Census of Population and Housing with a budget of a little over 2.0 billion pesos.

Our outmost cooperation is necessary for the success of the Philippines 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH). The data collectors wearing official 2010 CPH identification cards will knock on every housing unit and interview each household. The interview will take only about 15 to 30 minutes. All information from the census will be held strictly confidential as guaranteed by Section 4 of Commonwealth Act No. 591 and Section 9 of BP 72.

Let us welcome the data collectors in our homes; this is a very simple way of being involved and helping our country.

The Arellano University COPAR Enhancement Workshop aimed to equip its present nursing faculty members with additional knowledge and skills in community organizing and research. It was a four-day seminar with Day 3 allotted to actual visit of the Arellano University adopted community in San Miguel, Bulacan.

Kabaihang Barangay .. Partner NGO

Founder of KB, Ms Emma S. Sta Ana

Actual application of participatory action research tools were performed by the Arellano University nursing faculty participants such as transactional walk diagram, focus group discussion and key informants interview.

AU Faculty at San Miguel Bulacan

Dr Editha L Padama , Director of the Research and Publications Department of Arellano University was the main speaker about research. Ms Andreline Ansula, as officer In charge of Community Development Program talked about the COPAR Process. Facilitators of the COPAR Enhancement Program were Mr Eliezer Manga, Mr Eduardo Azuelo and Ms Hyacinth Merioles.

It has been the custom of St Mary’s Academy Caloocan my kid’s school to hold their family day affair sponsored by the Family Council. I must admit I am not so much in attending school activities, but come to think of it, it might be one of the last family day affairs that I’ll be attending, since Roxanne, my youngest is in third year high school.

I roam around St Mary’s Academy Caloocan and took pictures of students in their various activities with their parents. I felt quite sad though because I miss those times, when my kids were young. I felt I was not able to capture those years in their life, where I was so busy working singlehandedly in order to provide for them.

On one hand I felt proud, my efforts were rewarded for what they are now.

Metro Manila is considered as the 4th most polluted city in the entire world. Aside from carbon monoxide, Oxides of Nitrogen or Nox, is one of the pollutants in the air we breathe. NOx, or nitrogen oxides, are harmful gases mostly generated from motor vehicle emissions. Trial data indicate that NOx levels in the vicinity of the Guadalupe MRT Station are at times over 200 micrograms per cubic meter — a figure that’s more than 5 times that of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of 40 micrograms per cubic meter.

The Guadalupe MRT station as well as the embankment wall opposite the station along EDSA of over 6,200 sq. meters of area was painted with 740 liters Boysen KNOxOUT . Results of the trial indicate that World’s largest air cleaning Boysen KNOxOUT lowerered air pollution .

It takes about 20,000 breaths a day for a person to live. I spent at least 10 hours a day outside our home, breathing the polluted air of Metro manila, Our home is about 150 meters away from EDSA Monumeto. I Passed by the Guadalupe MRT Station at least thrice a week. That a lot of Nox inside of my lungs and body.

Surely Boysen® KNOxOUT®, offers the relief of that as an air pollution solution in a can. How does it work? KNOxOUT looks like an ordinary water based paint, it has a special ingredient – air cleaning titanium dioxide (TiO2), often referred to as a photocatalyst. When activated by light, it speeds up a chemical reaction that turns ordinary water vapor into free radicals that attack NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the two components of smog; and transform them into harmless substances.

It’s the 10th anniversary of the REPUBLIC ACT No. 8749 AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE AIR POLLUTION or the Clean Air Act law. The eleventh Congress passed it into law in 1999. The law enforces clean air standards for an improvement in human health and longer life spans

To raise awareness about an alternative way to do our part for the environment, the One Wall One World Campaign is launched. Let us paint the walls around our neighborhood, to help protect our community. If everyone in every community could paint one wall, we can help protect our town, our city and our world. This is the advocacy of “One wall, One world”

To find out more about air Boysen KNOxOUT and to find out which companies and citizens are stepping up to clean our air check out www.onewalloneworld.com.

Click thumbnails for larger view

I went to work Saturday (September 26, 2009) I left the house at 8:00 AM looking forward to a day of activities work and fun. It was not raining but dark clouds do abound. I was at work by 8:30 AM , and it started to rain hard, classes were suspended at 9:00 AM. I still stayed at the place of my work ( Gil Puyat St, Taft Avenue Area, Pasay City) hoping for the rains to stop and the floods to recede. By 12:00 PM, I decided to trek the flooded Gil Puyat  St. to be able to ride the LRT train in going to Monumento. My LRT ride saved my day. I was home safe by 1:30 PM.

I was so thankful that:

My place of work is just at across the LRT station; our home is near the LRT Monumento station.

Our home (Morning Breeze  Subdivision) was not flooded, except at the corner street but after sometime, the flood receded. We had electricity and continuous supply of water, the whole time.

My children were all at home during the time.

Food was readily available, because all restaurants were just walking distance from our place.

Our place is Morning Breeze Subdivision, just beside the Manila Central University (MCU). My grandmother and parents has been living here for the last 57 years.

A Philippine Air Force aerial shot shows floodwaters caused by continuous rains brought by Typhoon Ondoy in Cainta Rizal, east of Manila September 27, 2009             (REUTERS/Rey Bruna/Philippines Airforce/Handout)

Residents wade in floodwaters caused by Typhoon Ondoy in Cainta Rizal east of Manila September 27, 2009.
REUTERS/Erik de Castro

My other experience on safety:

Our safety was threatened in June 1991, it was the Mount Pinatubo eruption. We were staying at Floridablanca Pampanga then, when the eruption happened. My kids , Dianne was 3 years and Jeric was barely 2 weeks old. I thought we were all going to die during that time. There was earthquake every 10-20 minutes, our roof was heavy with sand and were so afraid our roof would crash on us. There was no electricity, no communications; there were no cell phones during the time. We had to evacuate to the church. Good thing I was breastfeeding my kid. It was so depressing, I had nightmares about it for a long time.

I thought of leaving the country for greener pasture but with this happening around us and around the world. I am taking my time… Its better here at Morning Breeze…

Let us turn to our Father Almighty for his protection and guidance of our family and community.

God, Our loving Father we come to you in our need to ask your protection against the INFLUENZA A H1NI virus that has claimed the lives of people in some parts of the world and has afflicted a number here in our country.

We ask you to continue to guide the hands and minds of the people who are studying the nature and cause of this disease and who are working hard to prevent its spread to more areas in the world. Grant all those in the medical profession who must treat and care for those who contract the disease, the grace and determination to minister to the sick with competence and compassion. Grant those in the health agencies of the government a sense of responsibility to act with only the good and the well-being of the people in mind.  May their expert advice on proper health practices be heeded and followed.

We pray for those who are still suffering from the disease in our country and in other parts of the world, may they all be restored to health soon.  We earnestly pray that the virus may be finally contained and its harmful spread be prevented.

Grant us the grace always to be filled with hope that you watch over us with love and providence and that your will for us is always good.

We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ your son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.
San Lorenzo Ruiz, pray for us.
San Roque, pray for us.

Note:  Oratio Imperata  (revised June 5, 2009) was issued by the Archdiocese of Manila  to be prayed at each Mass, kneeling down,  after Holy Communion, at every Mass.