PH Red Cross kicks off nationwide cleanup drive vs dengue

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has launched a simultaneous nationwide cleanup campaign to thwart rising dengue cases in the country.

According to the PRC, 500 of its staff and 5,000 volunteers across 73 chapters and 200 communities will be mobilized for its Linis BEATs Dengue initiative.

The effort seeks to eliminate mosquito breeding sites and ensure a collective effort, in collaboration with local communities, to fight the threat of dengue.

"May paraan para maiwasan ang dengue—kung bawat pamilya sa mga komunidad ay maglilinis. Kaya naman hinihikayat namin ang lahat to take action and clean," PRC Chairman and CEO Richard "Dick" Gordon said in a statement on Saturday.

(There are ways to avoid dengue—if each family in our communities cleans up their surroundings. That is why we call on everyone to take action and clean.)

"Our Red Cross 143 volunteers and Red Cross Youth are actively doing their part—you should, too," Gordon said.

As part of its campaign kickoff activities Saturday, PRC staff and volunteers participated in the cleanup drive in Batasan Hills, Quezon City.

"Dengue is preventable, and it starts with clean homes and communities. Through Linis BEATs Dengue, we are not just cleaning—we are saving lives. We are encouraging everyone to make this a community activity, after all, a clean environment is a SAFE environment," PRC Secretary General Dr. Gwen Pang said.

#BantayDengue: @philredcross, nagsagawa ng clean-up drive sa Brgy. Bagbag sa Novaliches, Quezon City bilang bahagi ng kampanya kontra-dengue. | via @SurfaceCarlo pic.twitter.com/6QvR5aUKtW

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) February 22, 2025

According to Carlo Mateo's report on Super Radyo dzBB, the PRC Quezon City chapter also conducted a cleanup drive Sunday at Barangay Bagbag in Novaliches, in coordination with local officials in the area.

At least 44 dengue cases have been logged in Barangay Bagbag this year, topping the most number of infections in QC District 5, barangay officials were quoted as saying.

Cleanup drive volunteers were removing garbage and sludge at a local creek, a potential breeding ground for dengue-carrying mosquitos.

The Department of Health (DOH) is set to roll out its own anti-dengue campaign, dubbed "Alas Kwartro, Kontra Mosquito!" on Monday, February 24, as part of its intensified prevention and control efforts against the virus across all government offices nationwide.

The kickoff event seeks to mobilize communities in eliminating mosquito breeding grounds and preventing the spread of dengue.

Also on Sunday, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) reiterated that it offers benefit packages for patients who were infected by dengue, whether they were admitted in the hospital or not.

The Health Department reported Friday a "slowdown" in dengue cases recorded over the past four weeks nationwide.

Most dengue cases were found in three regions that account for more than half of cases nationwide: Calabarzon (9,113), National Capital Region (7,551), and Central Luzon (7,362). — VDV, GMA Integrated News