More than 3,000 participants from various local government offices, barangays,
and other stakeholders actively participated in the Dagan Kontra Dengue, a fun run held
for Dengue Awareness, last July 28 at the Davao City Coastal Road.
The event was spearheaded by the City Health Office, in partnership with the City Mayor’s Office, for free.
Dr. Tomas Miguel Ababon, Head of the CHO earlier said that the fun run’s main purpose is to further the information dissemination on dengue and the importance of the dengue task force
in the barangays in stopping cases of the disease in the city.
During the fun run, Ababon urged runners to clean the environment and fight dengue
with the same level of enthusiasm they had during the fun run.
“Ang inyong kadasig karon sa pagtambong diri sa fun run, ako kamong ginahangyo nga magdasig pud sa paglimpyo sa atoang panimalay (I hope you are just as motivated to maintain the cleanliness in your households as you are now in participating in the fun run. That’s all we are asking from you),” he said.
He said that maintaining cleanliness in households is still one of the effective ways in fighting dengue as it leads to the destruction of possible breeding sites of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
Ababon also put emphasis on the role of the barangay in maintaining the cleanliness of the canals and streets, as well as in the prevention of the spread of dengue through the creation of a functioning Mosquito-Borne Diseases Task Force. This echoes the directive of CHO to the barangays and all Dabawenyos to practice the 5S strategies, which include searching and destroying possible mosquito breeding sites; practice self-protective measures; seeking early medical consultation; supporting indoor and outdoor spraying and fogging activities; and the importance of sustained hydration.
Dabawenyos are also urged to cooperate with the CHO’s intervention and prevention efforts to prevent dengue incidences in the city.
During the fun run, three winners each for the female category and three winners for the other categories– 3k, 5k, and 10k – took home gift certificates and a box of groceries.
Special awards were also given to the oldest runner, youngest runner, family category winners, and couple category winners.
After the run, the CHO also distributed dengue kits to barangays that had representatives joining the event. CIO
