“I had dengue three times.”
“Twice in high school and the third time, I was already on television,” relates celebrity host and mom Christine Bersola-Babao.
“And this was despite the over protectiveness of my mom who always put lotion on us when were, kaso hindi mo alam kung saan ka kakagatin ng lamok na ‘yan, baka sa school or baka sa farm.”
“Akala ko hindi na ako magkakaroon ng dengue since nagkaroon na ako, so when I was a TV reporter and assigned in Manila, tandang-tanda ko pa late afternoon na ‘yun, nakasalampak ako sa floor while waiting for live on air, she continued,
“Naramdaman ko ‘yung kagat ng lamok, ang sakit, matindi, tapos pagtingin ko, nandoon pa ‘yung lamok, so hinintay ko na lang na magka-fever ako which I had, for several days, high-grade fever, tapos nu’ng nawala na, yun ang inabangan ko para malaman ko kung babagsak ang platelets ko at do’n ko naramdaman ang sakit ng buto ko, ang sakit ng tiyan ko, (classic signs ng dengue).
“Nu’ng nagtu-toothbrush ako, may bleeding, hinawakan ko ‘yung nose ko, meron na ring dugo, hayan na, punta na sa hospital and I stayed there for three weeks. Buti na lang it wasn’t that fatal kasi kung hindi kakailanganin ko ng blood transfusion. IV at rest lang kinailangan ko at tumaas na ulit ang platelets ko.”
Bersola-Babao shared her story at the launch of Sanofi Pasteur, where she joined Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan and Paolo Abrera as celebrity advocates of the Be A Wall against Dengue Campaign.
Now that she has 2 kids with Julius Babao, Anya (11) and Neo (6), Christine says she doesnt want to take the risk.“ I dont want to take the chance kaya nu’ng malaman naming may dengue vaccine ay pinapunta ko agad si Antonia sa pedia niya kasi ‘yung 6 years old ko, hindi pa puwede, 9 to 45 years lang kasi ang pwede. Kaya hihintayin ko na lang na mag-9 ‘yung bunso ko.”
Sanofi’s “Be a Wall” campaign seeks to mobilize the citizenry in a nation-wide campaign against the Spread of dengue. Dengue remains to be one of the fastest-growing mosquito-home diseases in the world and the Philippines ranks among the top-three countries affected by it.
Cebu City, for example, has just declared a state of calamity with over 5,821 dengue cases recorded as of October 2016. Other areas considered as the most infected hotspots include Metro Manila or NCR, Region lV-A or CALABARZON, Northern Mindanao, SOCCSKSARGEN, Central Luzon, and Western Visayas.
Watch the highlights of the Press Conference below:
The campaign likewise aims to build awareness among Filipinos parents and inform them how they can better protect themselves and their loved ones against the fastest-growing mosquito borne disease. It also aims to educate them about the multi-pronged ways to prevent dengue infection-vector-control, disease information and vaccination.
Paolo on the other hand said he had dengue 7 or 8 years ago which was the time when he was at the height of his active and healthy lifestyle. “I was doing triathlon, marathons, so feeling ko, fit na fit ako, feeling ko invincible ako. I don’t know where I got it, pero I came down to classic symptoms, high fever went away, tapos ang sakit-sakit ng behind my eyes. It’s a terrible time and I was admitted to the hospital. I felt so powerless , napaka-helpless. At maski lumabas ka na ng hospital at nasa bahay ka na, nanghihina ka pa rin kaya try to regain your strength.”
“Last year ‘yung bunso namin also got dengue, thankfully it’s a mild case but as a parent already that went thru the experience of having dengue parang ayaw mo talagang mangyari especially to people you love and close to, especially to a child,” he added.
Maricel shared that feeling of helplessness when her daughter had dengue while she was on an overseas trip with her parents and siblings for their yearly bonding.
“Nu’ng bumiyahe kami sa Africa, I kept myself protected from malaria and yellow fever kasi galing din iyon sa lamok, eh. And we were excited to go to Africa to see the Safari. Then, nakatanggap ako ng tawag na may dengue ang anak ko, so parang may heart is torn, to enjoy the Safari and to fly back to Manila, try to help and see my daughter be well.
“You know, the struggle is real and for me this is close to my heart na ayokong mangyari sa kahit na sinong pamilya, we have our own unique stories to tell, but they are definite solutions that we do not allow other people to go through the same trauma, the same mistakes having exposed ourselves to place na alam naman nating nandiyan lahat ng lamok.
“So, for me it’s very important ‘yung integrated prevention, vaccine is one amazing step and of course, kung may vaccine ka at ‘yung sa pamilya mo na walang vaccine at hindi na puwedeng magpa-vaccine ay hindi mo na kayang protektahan, I believe as communities come together to get educated and then hold hand and say we are going to up this wall against dengue, mababawasan po ‘yung mga cases.
The Be a Wall campaign will also engage Filipinos by inviting them to connect, share their experience, ask questions, and join a community that’s building the nation’s resistance against dengue. it aims to remind them of their role to step up the fight against the disease and to get involved by taking an active part in health matters that affect them and their families.
“As responsible Filipino moms, let our voices be heard to raise awareness on dengue and let’s spread the good news that it is now a vaccine preventable disease. Each of us can now be a wall against dengue,” notes Laxa-Pangilinan.
“it’s great news that there is a dengue vaccine now available in the market. As a public affairs anchor, I’m on top of the news everyday and it’s very alarming to note the rising dengue cases from different regions of our country. it’s definitely a relief for Filipino parents out there especially a father like me to be able to visit our doctors today and have our kids vaccinated,” adds Abrera.
“Aside from the vector control measures that we have been doing, we really need a new tool that will help us in fighting the epidemic and vaccination is the answer. I encourage other Filipino moms to ask their doctors about dengue vaccination today,” ends Bersola-Babao.
