The Department of Education (DepEd) will closely coordinate with the Department of Health (DoH) to monitor the rising dengue cases in schools and protect school children from the disease.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said he will instruct all school officials to take necessary measures to prevent dengue which becomes prevalent especially at the onset of the rainy season.

“We call on the parents, students, teachers, and school officials to be mindful of their health, take extra precaution, and to be watchful for any symptoms pointing to dengue,” said Luistro.

Data from DoH show that about 80 percent of dengue cases belong to the one to 20-year-old age bracket. Parents are reminded to be vigilant because the fatality rate in this age bracket is greater than one percent in that age group.

DepEd and DoH officials plan to visit schools with high cases of dengue and will remind the parents and teachers on the most cost-effective ways to fight dengue such as keeping surroundings clean to destroy the breeding places of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

Luistro has also instructed all school officials to maintain sanitation in school premises and directed school health officials to conduct information dissemination campaign so that students and the community will know what dengue virus is, and what the community can do to prevent it.

“The safety of the students as well as officials and personnel should always be on top of our concerns as dengue cases may result to many class days missed by students,” he said.

Luistro said that this year, DepEd, parents and teachers should not let dengue stop school operations, instead, “we should be ready to do our part in controlling the spread of the disease.”

According to DepEd-School Health and Nutrition director Dr. Minda Meimban, DepEd has already issued guidelines on the implementation of Preventive Alert System in Schools or (PASS). This is a systematic relay of information on the child’s or teacher’s state of health to medical personnel or agencies in the locality which all school heads should follow.

Under PASS, pupils or students will observe the well being of their own classmates and to report if someone among them is not feeling well or has colds, cough or fever.

“If confirmed, the principal shall notify the family or guardian of the sick child. If the school does not have a physician, the nearest health center physician or municipal health officer or rural health worker shall be consulted,” Meimban explained.

DepEd will also be directing the school heads to closely coordinate with the barangay health workers and municipal health officers for updates if there is an occurrence of infectious diseases in the community.

“They shall also conduct daily monitoring of health status of children and personnel and maintain a record of it,” Meimban added. The DepEd expects school principals to take the lead in implementing PASS and to relay relevant/urgent information to the Schools Division Superintendent (SDS). The SDS shall a give report to the Office of the Secretary.

With the outbreak of dengue in various parts of the country, DoH has already announced that the trends have changed and dengue is no longer just a "rainy season disease" as cases are being reported nationwide throughout the year.