Dominican Republic: Adventist Church and ADRA unite in national campaign against Dengue fever

September 14, 2010 – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic…[Libna Stevens/IAD]

More than 6,000 young Seventh-day Adventists participated in a national campaign to spread the word about the dangers of dengue fever, as a record number of people in the country have already died this year from the illness, according to health officials. The campaign was coordinated by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in the Dominican Republic under the direction of the Ministry of Public Health from Aug. 29 to Sep. 5, 2010.

“This is the first time that the church and ADRA have gotten involved in such a national prevention campaign,” said Luis Miguel Acevedo, ADRA director for the Dominican Republic.

The slogan of the campaign was “Zero Dengue in my Country.” Thousands of young Adventists knocked on doors and passed out fliers about the dangerous Dengue fever, which is spread by mosquitoes in the tropics. Symptoms are flu-like, including fever, headaches, and joint pain. The illness has proven fatal in at least 100 cases reported nationally this year.

“The basic solution on Dengue fever is educating people on how to prevent it,” said Acevedo. “We can aid in reducing the number of cases, since the number can be significantly reduced by educating people about eliminating breeding sites.”

Acevedo says that ADRA contacted the Ministry of Public Health to help in the Dengue fever campaign. The goal of the event was to reach over 100,000 homes in the country with special focus in several communities in Santo Domingo–the capital city and northern and southern parts of the island. The campaign was talked about on Adventist radio stations covering the entire island, and was covered by several national television stations.

Pastor Carlos Rilio, youth ministries director for the church in the Dominican Republic, helped mobilize the young people.

“Our young people were so happy and willing to be part of this huge campaign” Rilio said.

“We had all of our Seventh-day Adventist schools…educating its more than 20,000 students and providing them with fliers to inform their neighbors and communities of the dangers of dengue fever and preventive measures,” said Rilio. He said preventative actions include emptying outside pots, tires and anything that collects water, as well as eliminating garbage that can spread the mosquito-borne disease.

This joint effort with the Ministry of Public Health prompted a signed agreement with ADRA and the church committing to collaborate with its volunteers to execute initiatives that will benefit the island at large in the coming months and years.

“It is a privilege for us to serve God and humanity with out time and our efforts,” said Acevedo. “ADRA and its volunteers will continue to work to aid and be involved in projects that can better our community and our country.”

Acevedo said that ADRA has already been solicited to aid in a national vaccination campaign scheduled for next year on the island.

ADRA Dominican has been recently involved in projects for released prisoners, in special aid collections for victims of the earthquake in Haiti, and literacy programs throughout Adventist Churches in the nations.