To paraphrase a great English playwright, now is the summer of Lagunenses’ discontent.
Health authorities in the province now face two unrelated, but potentially life-threatening concerns: the sudden outbreak of pertussis, or whooping cough, as well as the extreme heat the country is now experiencing due to the El Niño phenomenon.
The challenge now for the Department of Health (DOH) as well as local health authorities is how to effectively handle these twin concerns that have long-lasting impacts on the province’s youth.
The good news, however, is that health authorities in the province have immediately taken steps to address these health issues that have thrown Lagunenses into near-panic.
Pertussis outbreak
At first, Lagunenses had thought the province would be immune (figuratively and literally) to the threat of pertussis, or whooping cough, when the first outbreak was reported in Quezon City last month.
On April 1, however, Santa Rosa City Mayor Arlene Arcillas declared an “outbreak” of pertussis in the city after it reported 13 confirmed cases of the highly contagious disease.
Latest statistics provided by the Laguna Provincial Health Office (as of April 3) showed 48 total cases of pertussis in 12 cities and towns in the province from January 1 to March 30.
Of these, 17 were confirmed cases while 31 are “suspected” cases.
Laguna province also posted the highest number of pertussis cases in the Calabarzon region, according to the Department of Health - Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) Calabarzon.
Emergency procedures
The city government of Santa Rosa has immediately conducted house-to-house vaccinations for children five years and below to control the spread of pertussis.
"The vaccines were supplied to us by DOH, but we are trying to secure our own vaccine purchased by the city," the mayor was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Laguna Provincial Health Officer Dr. Rene Bagamasbad said the PHO’s surveillance is currently conducting investigations on how pertussis has spread in the province.
“Sa preventive [measures], tayo ay regular na nagpapabakuna, malawakan rin ang ating health information campaign, kasama na ang regular na testing ng collected specimen para malaman kung pertussis ang sakit. Nag-rerelease ng mga gamot na gagamitin ng mga nagkakasakit pinaghahanda ang mga health centers at hospital sa maaring pagdami pa nito,” Bagamasbad told OpinYon Laguna in a message.
Extreme heat
Another health concern authorities in Laguna are closely monitoring now is the possible effects of extreme heat in the province in the past week.
According to the weather monitoring page LagunaWise, temperatures in the province had hit an average of 34 degrees Celsius in the first week of April alone.
However, what concerns authorities the most is the high "heat index," or the measure of the actual temperature that a person feels.
LagunaWise noted at least five areas in Laguna province – Santa Rosa and Cabuyao cities and the towns of Famy, Pangil and Siniloan – reported a heat index of 40 degrees Celsius (based on data from OpenWeather) on Thursday, April 4.
That's two degrees away from the "danger" level prescribed by Pagasa (42 to 53 degrees Celsius), in which "heat cramps and heat exhaustion are likely," and "heat stroke is probable with continued activity."
Suspension of classes
Several LGUs, including Cabuyao City and Los Baños, had immediately suspended face-to-face classes (although to be clear, online and modular classes will continue).
Meanwhile, the Los Baños LGU has adjusted the schedules of classes in its schools to ensure that students won’t feel the full brunt of the heat.
The Department of Education-Calabarzon (DepEd-4A) has also released Regional Memorandum No. 233 Series of 2024, which allowed school heads to suspend face-to-face classes should the monitored heat index reach 40 degrees Celsius.
According to DepEd-4A Regional Director Alberto Escobarte, the move aims “to avoid putting learners’ and teachers’ health at risk.”
The Regional Management Committee unanimously agreed that 40 degrees Celsius is the minimum threshold for the suspension of face-to-face classes and the eventual adoption of modular and distance learning (MDL).
“As [the] temperature is unbearable and poses a health risk even without reaching the threshold, the school head may suspend the face-to-face classes and advise the adoption of MDL subject to the condition that a report be submitted to the Office of the Superintendent," Escobarte stated in the memorandum.
Escobarte also ordered the adoption of preventive measures such as starting classes early, having limited outdoor activities, coordinating with local government units for emergency plans and securing access to support and resources as well as other relevant measures applicable in their local context, among others.
According to DepEd, a total of 92 schools in the Calabarzon region have suspended face-to-face classes as of April 4.
What about workers?
However, it should be noted that as of press time, LGUs in Laguna have yet to release any memorandum or ordinance governing the welfare of their employees, particularly those whose job requires them to stay outside in the sun for long periods of time.
This, as Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III had called on the government to safeguard workers both in the public and private sectors against the effects of extreme heat.
“The Department of Labor and Employment should work with the private sector in implementing a similar policy. As I said last year, there should be a temporary work break or compulsory rest periods when the heat index reaches a danger level,” Pimentel said in a news release on Wednesday, April 3.
When asked about this by OpinYon Laguna, Laguna PHO head Dr. Rene Bagamasbad has this to say: "Regarding naman po sa mga employee, maglalabas pa lang po kami ng advisory on prevention of dehydration and long exposure to sunlight."
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