The award was bestowed by the Global South-South Development Expo, a United Nations-wide annual event. It was handed out in ceremonies at Washington DC, USA last December 17, 2009. The Fit For School Inc., a partner of Deped in implementing EHCP has been selected as one of the three winning Southern solutions to be exhibited and awarded at the Global South-South Development Expo 2009 for its innovation.

The EHCP combines high impact and evidence-based interventions in a simple and cost effective package to improve health and development of primary school children.

The EHCP, implemented in public day care and elementary schools nationwide, provides a health kit to every pupil consisting of soap for hand-washing, a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste, and a deworming tablet given twice a year.

EHCP seeks to reduce the incidence of diarrhea by 30-40%, bring down respiratory infections by 20-30%, and cut worm infections by 50%. This program is expected to increase school attendance by 20% and improve academic performance.

Recent studies conducted by DepEd, GTZ and UP revealed that diarrhea and respiratory tract infections are the leading causes of death among school children, while 67% of children are infected with intestinal worms. The same study showed that 97% of school children have tooth decay, with toothache as the main reason for absenteeism in school.

“The eyes of the international public health and education community is on our work in the Philippines. Winning this award is an honor and great recognition for all those involved in the program,” said Education Secretary Jesli Lapus.

Lapus stressed that quality of health of the pupils determines their academic performance.

The EHCP currently reaches 2.02 million children in some 8,000 elementary schools throughout the Philippines. Private organizations and local government units are both active in supporting the program.

Schools are considered the ideal venue for health promotion and behavior change as they are the most appropriate places to reach children in a structured and organized way.

“Sustainable improvement of health of school children worldwide is possible and Fit For School Inc. in the Philippines has shown what combined effort, realistic interventions and strong commitment can achieve”, added Dr. Bella Monse, Fit for School CEO.

Lapus added that most of the diseases that afflict schoolchildren are caused by hygiene problems, which are considered normal, even socially acceptable. However, only little attention is put to the impact it creates on the physical and mental development of children like school attendance, school performance and ultimately quality of life.

“We at DepEd, and our partner agencies, believe that these alarming issues can be addressed by one comprehensive solution, EHCP,” Lapus said.

The GSSD Expo is a global and UN-wide annual event held in conjunction with the celebrations of the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation. It creates the opportunity for interested governments, UN organizations, the private sector to showcase their solutions and build innovative partnerships around the most promising transferable and scalable experiences to a broader audience.

GSSD Expo is an event organized by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank and other international organizations.

The GSSD Expo has served as a platform for the international community to celebrate achievements; share development successes; explore new avenues for collaboration towards achieving internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

Source: Philippine Information Agency

Ortiz Dental Clinic offers wide range of dental services such as; General, Orthodontic, Cosmetic Dentistry and Teeth Whitening.

For 12 years now, the Ortiz Dental Clinic has been providing its patients with world class dental care possible.

Ortiz Dental Clinic is a full-service dental practice that offers basic and specialized dental services. It is home to many regular patients, company employees and their families.

Dr. Charles T. Ortiz, is a graduate of the Centro Escolar University, College of Dentistry.

Our aim is to assess, maintain, and improve the quality of clinical services by participating in local and international scientific sessions and trainings to stay abreast of the latest techniques and developments in Dental Medicine.

DepEd public information officer Kenneth Tirado said that the department, in cooperation with the DOH, is currently ironing out a new protocol schools will follow should they have a confirmed student with A (H1N1).

The new guidelines, Tirado said, will address the issue of class suspensions.

At present, guidelines state that schools should suspend classes for ten days if there is a confirmed A (H1N1) case. The new rules being formulated will clarify if the school should continue class suspensions as new cases arise.

The DepEd also clarified that private schools have autonomy on operational procedures.

New cases in Domincan College, Ateneo

This comes after Domincan College (DC) in San Juan and Ateneo de Manila University’s (ADMU) college unit in Quezon City confirmed some of their students tested positive for the virus.

Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng, Vice President for the Loyola Schools of the ADMU, announced in a memorandum that the school has four confirmed cases of A (H1N1).

“Three of them have not attended any of their classes, following LS guidelines, while one student, who neither travelled abroad or had exposure to a confirmed H1N1 case, attended class for a day before learning of the infection,” the memorandum stated.

“All their known contacts have been immediately informed, directed to go on self-quarantine, and asked to observe possible development of symptoms,” it said.

However, the school won’t suspend classes, upon agreement with the Department of Health (DOH).

“We have agreed that classes will not be suspended, considering that these cases have been relatively contained,” the statement read.

This brings the number of confirmed cases in the said university to seven. Three of the cases came from the Ateneo High School.

Meanwhile, the Domincan College suspended classes Wednesday due to an unconfirmed number of A (H1N1) cases.

Tirado, who has a child studying in the said school, confirmed the suspension of classes.

School administrators, however, could not be reached for details as of posting time.

Classes in Miriam go on; Lagro ES inspected

In Miriam College High School (MCHS), meanwhile, classes continued Wednesday despite the confirmation of the school that three of its students have influenza A (H1N1).

School administrators said they have conducted selective quarantine, meaning only those sections where the students with the flu attended are quarantined for ten days.

The school said continuing classes would be better instead of having students become exposed to other A (H1N1) sources if classes were suspended.

Students are also required to carry a “hygiene kit” containing alcohol, hand sanitizers, and masks.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said they will investigate the cases in MCHS.

Duque said that he also has a daughter studying in the said school, but he has not yet talked to her.

He said the DOH is still recommending that schools follow the response levels for A (H1N1).

In Lagro Elementary School, where two cases have been confirmed Tuesday and classes were suspended, barangay health officials have inspected the campus. Credits (ABS-CBN News)