DOH to utilize PIA’s Text Blast in anti-dengue campaign

By Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu

Monday 18th of June 2012

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, June 18 (PIA) -- The Department of Health (DOH) will be utilizing the Text Blast project of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) to help reduce the increase of dengue cases and deaths in the country.

“The Text Blast of PIA will be helpful in the specific targeting system being implemented in our campaign as it can send multiple vital messages to a large number of people in real time all at the same time,” said Health secretary Enrique Ona in a press conference in Pampanga last Friday.

PIA Central Luzon director Robert Baldago said, “The Text Blast is a public-private partnership project of PIA, National Telecommunications Commission, Smart Communications and Globe Telecom that will craft information messages appropriate for the needs of various stakeholders and send it directly to them via short message system or text which is the fastest and most practical way of reaching a wider population.”

Baldago added that “Smart and Globe each allocated a total of 100,000 messages per PIA Regional Office per month which are to be used in sending free information on power and water service interruption notices, seasonal health risks advisories, updates on government programs and projects, Palace pronouncements including class and work suspensions and alerts during calamities such as dam situation, typhoon track and flooded areas among others to recipients that are segmented by barangay, town/city, province, sector, occupation and gender.”

The Text Blast will be utilized in sending tips to specific communities infested with a disease like dengue to prevent further spread within the village and neighboring barangays.

For Central Luzon, the mechanism will be pilot-tested in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga.

Dengue is a disease caused by the bite of Aedes aegypti mosquito. These mosquitoes bite during daytime. Headache, fever, muscle and joint pains and skin rashes characterize the disease. In extreme cases, bleeding of the gums and nose may occur. (WLB/CLJD-PIA3)