National Dengue Prevention and Control Program Overview: The National Dengue Prevention and Control Program was

s first initiated by the Department of Health (DOH) in 1993. Region VII and the National Capital Region served as the pilot sites. It was not until 1998 when the program was implemented nationwide. The target populations of the program are the general population, the local government units, and the local health workers. The programs mission is to improve the quality of health of Filipinos by adopting an integrated dengue control approach in the prevention and control of dengue infection with the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality from dengue infection by preventing the transmission of the virus from the mosquito vector human. Significance of the Program: The Dengue Prevention and Control Program of the Department of health is significant because dengue cases have been rising not only in the Philippines, but also worldwide, therefore something must be done to contain the virus and to prevent the population from having fever. Prevention of dengue is crucial because dengue has been known to claim the lives of 328 Filipinos in the span of 7 months last year and the numbers are rising. Reaction: I think that the Department of Health should do a re-assessment of the effectiveness of the program and update some of the methods they use such as the laboratories (ELISA) in the communities for screening dengue among the population. They should re-evaluate the program because their goal of decreasing the cases of dengue is not met, instead they have the rising of cases.

Family Planning

Overview: A national mandated priority public health program to attain the country's national health development: a health intervention program and an important tool for the improvement of the health and welfare of mothers, children and other members of the family. It also provides information and services for the couples of reproductive age to plan their family according to their beliefs and circumstances through legally and medically acceptable family planning methods.

Significance of the Program: The program was launched to help families in the Philippines and also to control the population. The program aims to educate couples about the different family planning methods and to make sure that this information is available everywhere. The program would also like to empower men and women to pursue living healthy, productive and fulfilling lives and exercising the right to regulate their own fertility through legally and acceptable family planning services.

Reaction: The program seems to be very ambitious but attainable. I think that the program is simple enough to maintain its course throughout the year since most government programs have a way of failing midway. From my experiences of interviewing mothers and their families, the program seems to be working because the families are aware of these methods and are utilizing them from their own communities.