The City Health Office (CHO) issued an advisory this week, in partnership with the Department of Education, urging parents to let their children wear face masks.
“Nagpagawas mi ani nga advisory because naa naman gud schools nga nangutana unsa’y angay nga buhaton kay naa na’y estudyante
nila sa ilahang mga classroom nga nag-manifest na og ubo, sip-on, ug kalintura so again ang pinaka-effective gyud nga atoang buhaton is mangita ta’g preventive measures nga applicable sa tanan nga effective, proven scientifically (We issued the advisory because schools are asking us what to do as some students have manifested cough, colds, and fever, so the most effective way for us is to find preventive measures that are applicable for all and are proven scientifically),” said Dr. Margie B. Roa-Rubio, the Assistant City Health Officer for Operations, during the Madayaw Dabaw morning program on Friday.
Rubio said that masks also prevent the spread of seasonal flu, which has the same symptoms as COVID-19.
“Kasabot man gyud ta nga base sa atong experience sa COVID, effective gyud ang face mask because respiratory infection man (We already knew that based on our experience with COVID-19, wearing a face mask is really effective because it is a respiratory infection),” Rubio said.
She added that the City Epidemiologic and Surveillance Unit (CESU) has coordinated with DepEd clinics for the conduct of active surveillance so that the number of active number of cases would be determined.
She said that their office also advised that the memo on wearing face masks could also be extended to tertiary schools. Those in workplaces and are using public transport are also encouraged to voluntarily wear masks for protection.
The CHO to DepEd advisory also recommended the non-entry of students manifesting flu symptoms to schools to enable them to get medical consultation and close monitoring.
“Daghan og pwede nga rason kanang panahon, viral ang cause, ang uban allergy, ang uban bacteria, so proper consultation gyud sa atoang medical experts ang angayan nila buhaton aside sa pag monitor sa ilang balay. Kung ma-manage dayon diretso ang bata mas paspas ang iyahang recovery (There could be many reasons, it could be the weather, viral, others are allergies, bacteria so proper consultation is the right thing to do, aside from monitoring in their houses so that the case could be managed and recovery will be fast),” Rubio said.
Rubio also recommended that school surveillance for children who have Influenza-Like Symptoms (ILI) would include temperature taking because often, the case could also be dengue fever.
Due to dengue cases, some schools also issued memos for children to wear pants and light colors to avoid being bitten by dengue mosquitoes.
Rubio encouraged schools to help in health promotion and empower students to combat diseases including dengue.
The CHO, for its part, assured that barangay health centers and district health centers have enough manpower to cater to health concerns. CIO
