Mommy Pehpot, Author at Mommy Pehpot

The Dengue Paranoia

oh let me rephrase that, the Dengue Epidemia.

Dengue has been on the news for the past few weeks. August and September are months where Dengue cases rise. As of date (heard from the news), there are already 40,000 cases of dengue for this year, 10,00 of which coming from Metro Manila and the saddest part, almost 300 cases led to death.

Early this year, we lost a love one because of it. My husband’s nephew. Just like any dengue story, the child got fever and on the third day, he was admitted to the hospital. He got a stronger type of dengue and few days the infection got his brain, a few more days and he’s gone. It was one of the most difficult time in the family. It’s the first time that it happened and from a disease that is curable.

I cannot say what happened during those times but I can say that knowledge can be one of the best armor against this disease.

Dengue is a disease that can lead to death BUT it can be cured. It has 4 strains so a person who experienced it, can experience it again.. and can happen 4times. Don’t be afraid though, as mentioned, Dengue can be cured.. but we need to know how and what to do in order to fight Dengue.

This disease, as we all know are transferred through mosquito bites. There is a type of mosquito that carries the dengue virus. And when a dengue carrier mosquito bites a dengue infected person, and sucks a blood from the person, then bites another person, that’s when the virus is carried. I know we have to very vigilant about dengue but to save us from paranoia, keep in mind that, if there is no dengue case in your area, it is very little that a dengue virus is being carried out by mosquitoes on your area.

But if there is a dengue case in your area, you have to be very cautious and of course be very observant with the condition of your kids.

What are the symptoms of Dengue?

consistent fever
vomiting
diarrhea
bleeding of the gums
stomach pain and muscle pain

We don’t have to wait for the symptoms, do we? as far as I know or based on reports, there are cases where in when the virus is detected, it is too late to be cured..and I know all of us do not want to hear the term, too late..

So what must we do?

For one, when your child has a fever, make sure that you will only give them doctor recommend medicine, stick with paracetamol such as Biogesic as this is safe for dengue fever. Some meds for fever can actually worsen the case (like Ibufropen or those that targets inflammation).

Water. Water. Water. This will be your cheapest ally. That is why people use Tawa Tawa to treat dengue.

Dengue NS1 or NS1 antigen test (Platelia Dengue NS1 Ag assay) is a test that can detect dengue virus on the first day of fever until 3-5 days. It’s pricey but, we cannot put a price tag on our kid’s safety right? So when you are suspecting dengue, go to your nearest hospital and asked about NS1.

Always remember that this kind of virus targets our immune system so the best way to fight it is to strengthen our immune system. And during this time where dengue is very rampant, increase your vitamin c intake specially with your kids. Other things that we can do to prevent dengue:

Dark colored clothing attracts mosquitoes while light colored tend to blind them. As much as possible, put your kids on white pjs.
Clean your place, dark and messy corners are mosquitoes favorite hiding place and they breed lay eggs on water.
Use insect repellent, use citronella oils or Mosquito patches.

As a mother, seeing the news with parents losing their child due to dengue breaks my heart. And I want to educate people about dengue, because I know, with proper education, we can battle this disease.

Biogesic Giveaway

I have mentioned how I cannot live without Biogesic.. and how my Holiday was saved by it.. and how I cannot leave the house without it. I have been with it since the first time I had a taste of headache and fever and yes even on my pregnancies.. because Biogesic is safe.

This season, I have been stocking more Biogesic for fever related diseases. Diseases such as dengue fever, leptospirosis, influenza, typhoid fever are widespread during Rainy season and we really have to be careful. We lost a love one from dengue fever and I have been educating myself about it. It’s good to know that Biogesic is safe for dengue type fever as well as other fever related diseases mentioned above.

For kids and babies, mommies can trust doctor-recommended Biogesic for Kids with Micronized
Technology. With Biogesic, diretso sa lagnat, diretso galing. Biogesic Baon Pack (eight pieces) is available
in Mercury Drug, Watsons, and leading drugstores and supermarkets nationwide.

And now, I am very honored to host a simple giveaway sponsored by Biogesic.. Mechanics are:

What are the three things you need to do or carry during this fever season?
What is the safe and effective medicine they can trust for fever?

Comment your entries on this format (pleas read carefully, I will not accept entries with wrong format)

Facebook Profile URL (no more, no less.. not your FB name but the link to your FB profile)
Twitter Profile URL (only the url to your profile not your name or handler)
Answer to the 2 questions posted above… *hint our giveaway is about Biogesic

Five best answers will be chosen as winners. This giveaway will run from August 16- August 23. Winners will be announced on August 25.

The prizes are as follows:

2 Biogesic 8s pack
1 Female shirt
1 Biogesic Imortal Tumbler

What are you waiting for mommies?? Ingat! err Sali na!!

Linggo Ng Wika Costumes

August is Buwan ng Wika while most schools celebrate Linggo ng Wika on the third week of August, Friday of that week being the highlight of the celebration. Students are asked to come to school wearing costumes of Historical figures such as our National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal or Andres Bomifacio. Parents on the other hand bring camcorders to record this historical event.. as this is the only time that the kids get to wear something like that. For the past 2 years, I was lucky that my son was designated either as Apolinario Mabini or Francisco Balagtas, and finding a costume is easy. Barong Tagalog sits right there on their closet. This year, it’s a bit different because my son and my nephew was tasked to be Lapu Lapu and Antonio Luna…

I searched for Lapu Lapu (half of the search result is Lapu Lapu dish) and Juan Luna and this is the clearest that I got:

Good thing I have a gold malong here, I can use it for the Lapu Lapu costume. We can also use an old shirt to serve as his chaleco (orange or red). As for the sword, a good old carton box can do the trick.

Antonio Luna’s costume is hard to find.. it’s a military attire and where can we look for a military attire for 6 year old kids? Unless I want a custom maid, which can be damaging to my pocket. I am thinking of browsing my favorite thrift stores to look for a small miliary inspired jacket then we’ll just patter it to Antonio Luna’s costume.

Here are some Linggo ng Wika costume idea:

Dr. Jose Rizal

As you can see, Dr Jose Rizal is wearing an old type of suit and his hair is swept in a very neat manner. You can also add a hat for Dr Jose Rizal costume.

Balagtas/ Fracisco Baltazar

A Barong Tagalog with Chinese Colar is all you need for Francisco Baltazar costume. A decorative laurel leaves on the side of the head will complete the look.

Emilio Aguinaldo

Emilio Aguinaldo’s costume is another hard to find costume but with the popularity of Aguinaldo being the first president of the country, I am sure you can find a costume in Divisoria. Antonio Luna and Emilio Aguinaldo both wears military costume but the difference is Emilio Aguinaldo has a sash.

Andres Bonifacio

As you can see, Andress Bonifacio also wears the same suit as that of Jose Rizal but in most films and representation, Andres Bonifacio is simply wearing a Kamesa de Chino with a red neckerchief. So when looking for an Andres Bonifacio costume, white Kamesa de chino will do, just don’t forget the red neckerchief.

Juan Luna

Juan Luna also wear suit but his distinct look is his beard.. so when wearing a Juan Luna costume, don’t forget the beard.

Melchora Aquino

Melchora Aquino costume should be baro’t saya, no more, no less.

Diego Silang

Diego Silang costume should always include the old salako and of course an itak on his back. You can use an old shirt anfd cut the sleeves to make a Diego Silang costume.

Gabriela Silang