Olyset: Revolutionizing Bicol's battle against Dengue
LEGAZPI CITY—Dengue is a major burden for the Bicol province. It is both a cause and consequence of poverty. Today, dengue can be controlled with effective prevention, diagnosis and treatment interventions.
The most common approaches to combat dengue are the use of mosquito nets, spraying interior walls of homes with insecticides, usage of insect repellent UV lamps, and treating people in high transmission areas intermittently with dengue vaccines.
But the latter two aforementioned ways are both rarely used in rural areas due to its cost-effectivity and as Dengue vaccines are only aligned to one–out of four types–of Dengue.
Fortunately, in the last five years, preventing dengue cases—as presented by the Department of Health (DOH) through its reports—had a significant decrease and great progress has been achieved in reducing the burden of dengue by scaling up dengue prevention and control interventions.
To sustain this, innovative strategies are used to implement Dengue control and interventions may need to be reconsidered or complemented whereas the means for the financial funding for these projects must be available.
Olyset Nets
The use of Olyset Nets is considered by the DOH-Region V to be a cost-friendly way of eradicating threats of Dengue virus. These nets have been already distributed to elementary schools under the state health bureau's regional office's Dengue-free school project (DFSP).
Hand in hand with the Department of Education, DOH has also worked to educate and raise the awareness of the students on the dengue issue through the DFSP.
The project, according to DOH, aims to eradicate and prevent the spread of Dengue primarily in public schools. And indeed, the nets are highly effective against dengue vectors and fare moderately against other harmful household insects such as flies, moths, and wasps.
Susan L. Nogas, a teacher III and physical facilities coordinator of Albay Central School teaches her students on a mosquito-free afternoon.
Sara Jeanne Gonzales, a math teacher at the Albay Central School here, said that the use of Olyset Nets, that was put on their high school buildings, proved effective in fending off mosquitoes away from students.
"The only problem left here is that when we open our classroom doors, dusts fly in the air, causing an irritation to our asthmatic students," Gonzales said.
In Daraga National High School, ICT teacher Leizel Secretario shared that during the Palarong Pambansa 2016, the athletes did not encounter any mosquito problem.
“The Olynets proved to be an effective protection against dengue and other diseases,” Secretario said.
The nets are made by incorporating insecticide into its net fibers and kill mosquitoes that gets trapped. With the right size of holes, it's enough to keep mosquitoes and insects while letting in enough air. As the chemical agent on it is released gradually, the net retains the insecticidal effect for five years even after repeated washing.
The advantages of the net as economical and effective protection against malaria have also been certified by World Health Organization, and its use is recommended by other international organizations as well.
Kenn Nuyda, Health Education Promotion Officer of the DOH explained that the nets are intended for communities that cannot afford expensive dengue control strategies such as the UV lamps.
“Its use is not that complex. Olyset nets can be used without electricity. The users must just maintain its integrity because once it’s broken or when holes are present, the nets would eventually be of no use.
"The purpose of which is to protect everyone against mosquitoes. We place it in a room or let’s say in the building with many windows, we’ll put the nets there so that mosquitoes cannot invade inside,” Nuyda said.
“With that, with the support and collaboration of the DOH, the local government units, and other stakeholders, we can see the output that slowly but surely, the dengue cases here in Bicol decreases,” he added./with reports from Jazzelle Cayaban and Yodel Berdin, interns
