KALIBO, Aklan – Both government and private medical practitioners here are preparing for a worst-case health scenario as thousands of children go back to school tomorrow.
There could be an outbreak of diseases, said Provincial Health Office (PHO) chief Dr. Myrtle Pelayo.
PHO has recommended to the Department of Education (DepEd) to require children to wear protective gears such as boots to shield them from mud.
Pelayo also said they recommend that the kids wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
Elementary classes here were suspended for two weeks. Schools, just like the rest of the town, were under several inches of thick mud from the floodwaters brought by Typhoon “Frank.”
"The Provincial Alliance of Health Workers and the Aklan Medical Society (AMS) are prepared to protect our children when they return to school," Pelayo said.
Medical workers warned against the possible surge of leptospirosis, tetanus infection, asthma and even dengue.
Dr. Emett Custodio, protocol officer of the AMS and former district governor of the Philippine Medical Society in Western Visayas, are also on stand.
"We call on the municipality of Kalibo to hasten the collection of garbage in major streets. Health concerns will never be ignored until the collection of garbage in the municipality has been normalized,” Custodio said.
The AMS is currently negotiating with the Kalibo local government and DepEd to allow medical personnel to visit elementary schools to inspect school children.
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