National Health Priority (NHP)
National Health Priority (NHP) is a collaborative involving State, Commonwealth, and Territory government. National Health Priority is to focusing on the public attention and health policy considered significant contributed to the burden of the disease in the community. Dengue fever has become a National Health Priority (NHP) in Singapore with the health concerns in over the years. Over the 8000 cases has reported with dengue fever today, and it both affecting through young and the old. In recent years, Dengue fevers are widely spread in Singapore and other regions in ASEAN, which Singapore has classified as a top 4 position with the most cases dengue fever in ASEAN, and where the highest reported cases countries with dengue fever are followed by Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia. The highest rate of dengue virus are in the ages between 15 to 44.
Dengue fever cases in Singapore
In recent days, dengue fever cases in Singapore have increased over the past four weeks, which with the second week of 2019 was reporting about 248 cases, and which is increasing 41 cases more than the past week. NEA’s Gravitrap surveillance system identified that the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have increased about 40 per cents in December 2018 compared with December 2017. NEA estimated that if not reducing the high population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, it may cause more cases dengue fever in 2019. Therefore, NEA advice and encouraging its people to be aware of dengue and stay vigilant, and work together as a community to fight as a nation and reduce the number of dengue fever. (Institute, 2018)
Target groups of dengue cases are young adults in between 15 to 44 years. In between 2004 to 2016, Men consistently based a higher part of dengue cases which is 60 per cent compared with the woman. Singaporean residents of Chinese had the highest incidence rate (IR), followed by Malays, Indians, and others. For young adults which the age between 15 to 44 years proportion of dengue virus are 65.6 per cents. Therefore, Singapore has been experienced a vibration of DENV-1 and DENV-2 for 13 years in the period between 2004 to 2016 and target groups of dengue cases in Singapore with the highest rate are young adult, followed by seniors and youth.
With an estimated around 2.5 billion people today live with dengue endemic and being infected with dengue virus, which about 70 per cents of these people are live in ASEAN, and Singapore are part of these countries in ASEAN. Dengue fever has become a priority because of dengue fever has been increasing very frequently and widely spread even with a control measurement and intensive prevention. Moreover, deaths due the dengue fever are continuously being reported.
What is dengue virus
Dengue fever is a debilitating mosquito-borne symptoms caused by four related dengue virus and it often manifests through fever, headaches, joint, nausea, vomiting, rash, etc. Most of the people will recover within a week but in some cases, the dengue disease become worse and it will become a life-threatening. The causes of dengue fever is the viruses that spread by mosquitoes in anyone of four types dengue viruses. The spread of dengue viruses is when Aedes mosquito bites a people which in infected with dengue virus, the virus will enter the mosquito. With the infected mosquito bites another people, then the virus will enter the people’s blood and causes dengue.
There are several risk factors which can help developing cause a dengue fever which, living in the tropical areas will increase the risk of exposure virus that will cause a dengue fever such as, Southeast Asia, Southern China, South America, Africa. With prior infection of dengue virus, it will increase the risk of having an intense diseases if the people are infected again which will causes a health wellbeing. There also have a several contributing factors that helps people to preventing from dengue disease which, developing a safe and effective vaccines and antiviral drugs for dengue virus. Researches still in developing and believe that with an effective vaccines should be able to protect people against all four types of dengue viruses. Minister of Health having a concerns and believe that vaccines might not be an effective tools from preventing a dengue virus. If the people living in the areas where the dengue fever is in common, the best way to avoid from dengue fever is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes that are infected with dengue virus such as, wearing a protective clothing, use the mosquito repellent, stay in well screened housing, etc.
Models of wellbeing that I utilizing is happiness model, because happiness model is resilience and optimism that associated with constructive approach. There are several elements to promote and to help from preventing a dengue fever such as, social participation which, all the residents might need to involve and participation in “Do The Mozzie Wipeout” campaign to do the correct way on how to preventing from dengue fever. Another elements are Environment quality which, all the residents need to keep their environment clean so that the mosquitoes will never come over. for example, all the residents must clear their stagnant waters and fallen leaves in the garden weekly.
“Do The Mozzie Wipeout” campaign
In Singapore there has an existing campaign call “Do The Mozzie Wipeout”, with the purpose of to help people get rid of stagnant water In their home by practicing the 5 steps mozzie Wipeout and help people from preventing a dengue virus. The “Do The Mozzie Wipeout” campaign was launched on 28 April 2013, and it is supported by local grassroots advisers and Dengue Prevention Volunteers (DPV). In my opinion, The “Do The Mozzie Wipeout” campaign is run successfully because the campaign is still existing since 2013, and even the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources & Ministry of Health are participated in the campaign. In addition, NEA together with DPVs to setup an educational materials that to help the residents to understand more about the dengue fever and prevent from dengue. NEA also taps on the media to help people awareness and to against the dengue fever such as, dengue advertisement, radio ads, print ads, etc.
Ottawa Charter strategies
Ottawa Charter is a health promotion organized by World Health Organization (WHO) to achieve the goal of “health of goal” and beyond the better health promotion. The Ottawa charter has three basic strategies for help promotion such as Advocate, Enable, and Mediate.
Ottawa charter has five action areas for health promotion, and to help people reducing dengue fever around us which are:
Build health public policy, NEA should set the health policy that all the Singaporean must be in participated. for example, all the Singaporean should change their water in vases and remove the water from flowers pot plates daily, clear their stagnant waters and fallen leaves in the garden weekly, and clean their fallen leaves and other blockages in roof gutters monthly. With a health policy from preventing a dengue fever, all the residents will keep their environments clean and the mosquitoes will never come over.
Create supportive environments, the campaign “Do The Mozzie Wipeout”, the local grassroots Advisers and Dengue prevention volunteers (DPVs) will voluntary check people’s home actively and get rid of stagnant water by practicing the “5 steps Mozzie Wipeout”. With a supportive environment through the campaign, people will automatically prevent from dengue fever.
Strengthen community actions, the campaign “Do The Mozzie Wipeout” will help people through the community that to keep free from Aedes mosquitoes and dengue by practicing the “5 steps Mozzie Wipe-out” which are, Change the water in vases on alternative day, turn over all the storage containers, remove flower from flowers pot on alternative day, cover bamboo pole holders when in not use, and clear the blockages and put BTI insecticide in roof gutters monthly. With a campaign community will help people on how the right way to prevent from dengue fevers.
Developing personal skills, Health education is an essential program which implies the important information and scientific health knowledge to the people on how to avoid and medicate the dengue viruses. The campaign or workshop need to educate people with increase the knowledge more about dengue fever and to help people prevent from that. Such as, build a dengue advertisement, dengue TV shows, books material, etc.
Reorient health services, to improve the health services for dengue fevers, the researchers are still developing a safe and effective vaccines and antiviral drugs that will help to against all 4 types of dengue virus and with have no side effects for people. All the hospitals or even a general clinic, they should know how to do when in emergency for dengue fevers, so when the residents got infected, they no need to further away to hospitals, but it also can do in general clinics and get emergency treatment in shortest time.
Conclusion
Dengue fever is a debilitating mosquito-borne symptom that is common be seen in many countries around the world especially in Singapore. Dengue is still an important for public health problem because the infection still difficult to diagnose and medicate. Although, I believe that soon dengue fever will be easily to medicate in the future because NEA has taken an action to help people preventing from dengue virus such as, create a campaign that will help people to practicing a “5 steps Mozzie Wipeout” that to keep their houses clean, and a researcher is still in developing an effective and safe vaccines & antiviral drugs that to help people medicate it. Therefore, I strongly believe that with a health promotion of dengue fever will help people to increase their health wellbeing, physical wellbeing, and social wellbeing.
References
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Agency, N. E. (13 June, 2018). National Environment Agency . Retrieved from Do the Mozzie Wipeout Campaign: https://www.nea.gov.sg/participate/campaigns/do-the-mozzie-wipeout-campaign
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Agency, N. E. (22 January, 2019). National Environment Agency. Retrieved from Dengue Cases: https://www.nea.gov.sg/dengue-zika/dengue/dengue-cases
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Education, N. (2014). Scitable by Nature Education. Retrieved from Future Dengue Fever Treatments: https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/future-dengue-fever-treatments-22404960
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Institute, E. H. (29 May, 2018). NCBI. Retrieved from Dengue in Singapore from 2004 to 2016: Cyclical Epidemic Patterns Dominated by Serotypes 1 and 2: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6085773/
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Racaniello, V. (29 July, 2004). Virology Blog about viruses and viral disease. Retrieved from Antiviral Drugs: http://www.virology.ws/2004/07/29/antiviral-drugs/
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Reference, W. M. (5 February, 2018). WebMD. Retrieved from Dengue fever: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/dengue-fever-reference#2
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staff, M. C. (16 February, 2018). MAYO CLINIC. Retrieved from Dengue fever: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dengue-fever/symptoms-causes/syc-20353078
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TIMES, T. S. (16 June, 2016). THE STRAITS TIMES. Retrieved from Asean urged to fight dengue together: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/asean-urged-to-fight-dengue-together
