SANOFI Pasteur, the vaccines division of the Sanofi Group, recently announced its partnership with the Health and Education Ministries to launch a pilot Dengue Patrol programme in primary schools nationwide.
Health Ministry deputy director-general of public health Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman launched the event on behalf of Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai recently.
The launch, held at SK Gombak Setia in Gombak, Selangor, was also attended by representatives from both ministries, Sanofi Pasteur’s partners and stakeholders and more than 1,000 pupils of the school.
The programme is part of Sanofi Pasteur’s ongoing commitment to take pro-active measures to increase public participation and raise awareness of public health issues, especially dengue.
All smiles: Dengue Patrol members from SK Gombak Setia are ready to spread the word. It also serves to promote prevention as a means for broader protection against the disease in line with the Government’s aim of creating public awareness on various health matters.
“Dengue is a threat to about 1.8 billion people in Asia including Malaysians and this is more than 70% of the estimated 2.5 billion people at risk of dengue worldwide.
“South-East Asia is fast becoming the most seriously affected region and there is an urgent need to continue spreading awareness on dengue and ways to prevent it through various innovative public education initiatives.
“Through concerted efforts by government agencies and partnerships with multinational corporations like Sanofi Pasteur, we hope to significantly reduce dengue incidence in the region,” Dr Lokman said.
The Dengue Patrols created under the programme will be taught the severity, prevalence and preventive measures of dengue and then will be tasked with spearheading dengue prevention activities in the immediate community.
Incentives will be awarded to the school team with the most effective and innovative activities carried out and Sanofi Pasteur will provide pupils with health knowledge support as well as funding for all activities.
“We are proud to initiate this project with strong support from both the Health and the Education ministries.
“This programme illustrates our commitment to address the health challenges presented by dengue fever and increasing public awareness is one of the main strategies to reduce the risk of dengue transmission,” Sanofi Singapore/Malaysia/Brunei general manager Leah Goodman.
The Dengue Patrol programme is part of a long-term initiative for schools in the country.
Existing Dengue Patrol programmes will roll over every academic year with additional recruitment and new activities.
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