W.Visayas still free from H1N1 virus
The Department of Health (DOH) regional office 6 said yesterday that the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine has cleared a 51-year-old male from Iloilo of the Influenza A H1N1 virus.
The second case under observation (COU) arrived in the Philippines May 18 from South Korea, a H1N1 affected country, and showed flu-like symptoms on May 22. He was admitted to the Western Visayas Medical Center for quarantine that same day.
Dr. Marie Jocelyn J. Te of the DoH operations center told The News Today that the RITM cleared the patient of the Influenza A H1N1 Monday evening.
Te said that the patient will be discharged from the WVMC soon. Latest word was that the male was to be discharged Tuesday.
Last week, the DoH likewise cleared a 64-year-old balikbayan woman from the United States of the virus.
Te assured that there is no human to human transmission of H1N1 in the country.
Te said influenza A (H1N1) is now a public health emergency of international concern.
As part of the precautionary measures, Te said the DOH 6 has declared “Code White Alert” in all its retained hospitals in the region since April 30, 2009 and their Operations Center have been activated for 24/7.
Under Code White Alert, hospitals are to be in a high state of readiness, with all key personnel and departments on standby for any eventuality.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has ordered the DOH to make sure that all state hospitals nationwide are prepared to handle A/H1N1 cases.
Te added that health surveillance in hospitals, seaports, and airports which include thermal scanning of arriving passengers from affected countries were also enhanced in the region.
Lectures on Influenza participated in by various stakeholders were conducted as well as weekly media updates together with the Philippine Information Agency 6 as part of the awareness campaign on Influenza A.
Te said that as an added precaution they have now a ready supply of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) of about 5,870 capsules.
As of May 24, the World Health Organization reported a total of 12,022 cases of A/H1N1 with 86 deaths in 43 countries.
In the Philippines, as of May 25, the DOH has identified ten new cases under observation, eight of whom are from the National Capital Region, one from Region I and one from Region VII.
Since May 1, the DOH has monitored 113 COUs, two of whom were confirmed A (H1N1) cases. Fifteen COUs still have pending laboratory results, the remaining 96 have been discarded since they are negative for the virus. (With reports from PIA)