BAGUIO CITY — It is now part of the thrust of the Department of Health (DoH) to focus on the health impacts of climate change.

According to Center for Health and Development (CHD-CAR) Regional Director Myrna Cabotaje, climate change and global warming change the patterns of diseases, which is why the health department is set to hold several forums all over the country as the whole government bureaucracy gears up on informing the public on the ill effects of climate change.

“The information campaign will include the health effects of carbon dioxide emissions, waste segregation and even burning, as we basically want to promote a healthy environment,” Cabotaje said.

As an example, Cabotaje said they recorded an increase in dengue cases in 2009, which they attribute to climate change. “Rains usually come in June, which is also the start of the breeding season for dengue mosquitoes, but due to the change in climate patterns, it is now raining the whole year,” she said.

In line with this, Cabotaje said the DoH started its anti-dengue campaign as early as February.
The director also advised the public not to stay long under the sun, especially from 10 in the morning up to two in the afternoon, because due to the thinning ozone layer, too much exposure to the sun’s radiation could cause skin cancer.

The new DoH strategies in its advocacies on the serious negative effects of climate change to the lifestyle of the people in the region are in accordance with the thrust of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the Cordillera for an effective climate change adaptation and disaster risk management.

The RDC-CAR directed all concerned regional government line agencies and local governments to come out with revised programs and projects relative to the enhancement of climate change adoptability and disaster risk management efforts for the benefit of the people in the region, especially in disaster-prone areas so that they will be spared from the onslaught of natural calamities which could strike their places anytime of the year.

In terms of health and sanitation programs, the RDC-CAR believes the formulation of appropriate information and education campaign on the new diseases that could affect people is important in guiding the residents on how to adopt their living condition and their lifestyle to the abrupt changes in weather patterns which have already greatly affected the productivity of the agriculture sector nationwide.

Cabotaje said health workers are now working double time in order to come out with close to accurate data regarding the occurrence of new diseases so that they could issue the appropriate advisories to guide the people to prepare for whatever untoward incidents that could occur in the future, especially when there are outbreaks and epidemics in their respective areas.