In 2007 alone, nearly 40,000 cases of dengue fever were reported in Cambodia, taking the lives of 407 people, many of them children.1 Dengue fever, caused by a mosquito-transmitted virus, manifests as a sudden onset of severe headache, muscle and joint pains, fever and rash. There is no vaccine for dengue fever, so the best way to combat the virus is to control the breeding grounds of the mosquitoes. In a country where nearly every household has large, uncovered water storages tanks and flood plains are vast, this is no easy task!
On 1 July, Grade 6 students at Phoum Stung Primary School took part in a special 2-hour lesson, learning signs and symptoms of dengue fever as well as means of prevention. The lesson was taught by the village health representative, who has been engaged in other health education activities at the school since her initial involvement with the Phoum Stung School Support Committee at the January 2009 SCC-facilitated school development plan workshop. The village health representative commented that school-based activities are one of the most efficient ways to promote awareness about community health concerns. “Educate a student, and you also educate their parents, siblings and friends.”
1IRIN Asia
