MAY 20 is declared as the World Bee Day!  The year’s theme is “Bee Engaged” is very timely as  the world got hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and this had undeniable impact on the beekeeping sector even in the Philippines.  United Nations have been celebrating this day since 2018 with a specific focus on bee production and good practices adopted by beekeepers to support their livelihoods and deliver good quality products.

Sustainable Development Goals 2030 in action

As I listened during the #MileaBeeFarm sharing and business model discussion, it made me realize that through their beekeeping training and support to other communities and farmers, they are also actually contributing to #SDG4 Quality Education and #SDG8 Decent Work and Economic Growth.

With Mrs.Edilee Omoyon, apiary owner and a Pinoy business owner with a passion for creating skin-friendly products using all-natural ingredients DISCOVER #ACT4SDG

BEE a sustainable advocate, nurture the bees! 

Bees, the ambassadors of pollinators
Most of the 25,000 to 30,000 species of bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are effective pollinators, and together with moths, flies, wasps, beetles, and butterflies, they make up the majority of pollinating species. But the diversity of pollinators and pollination systems is striking.

Indeed, there are also vertebrate pollinators, including bats, non-flying mammals (such as several species of monkey, rodents, lemur, tree squirrels, olingo, and kinkajou) and birds (hummingbirds, sunbirds, honeycreepers and some parrot species).

​Current understanding of the pollination process shows that, while specific relationships exist between plants and their pollinators, healthy pollination services are best ensured by an abundance and diversity of pollinators. Source www.un.org/en/observances/bee-day

Why Asian honey is 'medicinal honey'? Read this Rappler article written by a good friend, Mavic Conde. I saw her post in FB so I became aware of the World Bee Day celebration today.

Can you BEE my HONEY?  Back in Noverber 2014, I was able to visit the Regional Apiculture Center in Pili #CamSur together with #DreamBicol team where I was able to know about the stingless bees and how it can be a source of livelihood for the community. So that was my first interaction with kiwot. I was amazed!

PH vaccination rate at an all-time low

DOH, experts call for continued immunization amid pandemic

Dr Maria Wilda Silva, DOH National Immunization Program Manager, leads health workers in the recent launch of the Measles-Rubella and OPV immunization campaign (Photo grabbed from post of World Health Organization Philippines FB Page)

“Don’t be afraid because children must get immunized. They are at higher risk of getting measles, polio, pneumonia and other vaccine-preventable diseases,” according to Dr. Lulu  Bravo said, Executive Director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination. “Let us all be reminded that first, if children and other vulnerable sectors are not vaccinated, they can get sick and can die from these vaccine-preventable diseases,” she adds.

According to an entry I read on FamilyDoctor.Org, Pneumococcal disease is caused by bacteria. It can lead to infections in the lungs, blood, and brain. Pneumococcal disease causes health problems in children younger than 5 years of age. This includes meningitis, blood infections, and ear infections. And children below 2 years old are at greater risk of infection. 

In the article by kidshealth.org, I learned that children younger than 2 years old and adults over 65, as well as other people with some medical conditions are at high risk for serious pneumococcal infections. The PC vaccines are very effective at preventing severe disease, expensive hospitalization and death. 

When Are Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine(PCV) Immunizations Given?
Infants get PCV immunizations as a series of four injections:
- the first at 2 months of age
- then at 4 months, 6 months, and 12–15 months

DID YOU KNOW?!

The Philippine Expanded Program on Immunization lead by Department of Health (DOH) seeks to ensure that children, particularly infants, and their mothers have access to vaccines recommended for their age to prevent specific diseases

In 2011, through Republic Act No. 10152, the mandatory basic immunization now covers: Tuberculosis Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis Poliomyelitis Measles Mumps Rubella or German measles Hepatitis-B H. Influenza type B (HIB)

DOH appealed to the public to avail of free vaccination in public health centers. This active campaign on vaccination helped in decreasing the number of cases of certain diseases in recent years.