The senator of the Frente de Todos, Juliana DiTulliopresented the “Shield Program” which is a bill for all public schools in the country to have provision of insect repellent and sunscreens free of charge.
Di Tullio stressed: “The advance of diseases such as dengue, chikungunya fever and Zika transmitted by mosquito bites, and the scientific conclusions that indicate that 80% of the damage caused by the sun occurs before the age of 18, and that its effects are cumulative and irreversible throughout life, forces us to take new preventive measures with our children and adolescents”.
For her, insect repellents and sunscreens have become “essential necessities” and therefore “it must be easier for schools to have a supply of these products.”
On his Twitter account he mentioned the program and posted: “We present the Shield Program: a bill for the free provision of repellents and sunscreens in public schools across the country. Because the only privileged ones should be our boys, girls and young people”.
The project presented by the Buenos Aires senator covers the students of the three levels: initial, primary and secondary; of public management schools and those privately managed establishments that have 100% state subsidy and/or zero fee.
According to the latest report published by the Ministry of Health of the Nationuntil April 23, 2023, 71,717 cases of dengue were reported in the country, of which 65,195 acquired the infection in Argentina, while of chikungunya fever, the cases amounted to 1,460, of which 910 acquired the infection in the country. country and another 260 remained under study. Both diseases are transmitted by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes.
Regarding sun exposure, the National Committee for Child Health and the Environment of the Argentine Society of Pediatrics warned that “ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the main cause of skin cancer” and that “the number of malignant tumors (melanomas) has doubled in the last 40 years”, therefore, given that sun damage is cumulative, “Children and adolescents are especially vulnerable and are particularly at risk.”
