Pedestrians shield themselves from the sun while passing through the Commonwealth Market in Quezon City on April 12, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File
MANILA — As the El Niño phenomenon further intensifies in the coming weeks, the Department of Health said it is working with other government agencies to ensure the public is equipped with the right knowledge to prepare for its potential impacts.
Speaking at the sidelines of the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Education and state health insurer PhilHealth, Health Secretary Edwin Mercado warned of various illnesses that individuals may develop due to the expected extreme heat. Among them are vector and water-borne diseases.
"Nandyan na po yung heat stroke, nandyan na po yung pag-taas ng mga vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria, typhoid and cholera. So meron na po tayong surveillance on the ground na nagmamonitor po nito," he said.
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The health chief said aside from informing local government units of the climate phenomenon's impacts on an individual's health, it is also stocking up on essential treatment for various illnesses as well as conducting blood donation drives which may be needed for dengue patients.
Latest data from the agency show that dengue cases have risen by three percent from January to September this year to 21,768, with the DOH seeing an increase in cases since June or the beginning of the rainy season.
Deaths from the vector-borne, meanwhile, have seen a 26 percent decrease.
The DOH said it is also working on the readiness of health facilities to ensure uninterrupted services.
"Meron na po tayong abiso na tiyaking maayos yung genset, maayos yung kanilang source ng tubig, maayos yung filtration system. Dahil po pag nawalan po ng kuryente, marami rin po pwedeng mga pasyente na nakakabit sa mga makina like respirator, yung mga nakakabit sa mga monitors," Mercado said.
"So kami naman po ay binigyan ng assurance ng ating Office of the Civil Defense na tayo po ang bibigyan ng priority ng fuel."
Aside from advising younger populations to keep their elderly and vulnerable families in mind during El Niño, Mercado said the agency has also ordered local health workers to be on their toes by conducting house visits to ensure they receive the necessary care and health interventions they may require.
"Check on them everyday para po matiyak natin na umiinom ng tubig, iniinom yung gamot, at nagmo-monitor po ng kanilang mga kalagayan," Mercado said.