1st A(H1N1) patient in Capiz now back for work
ROXAS CITY – Provincial Health Officer Dr. Jarvis Punsalan revealed that the first patient in the province who contracted the Influenza A (H1N1) virus is now back in Singapore to work as a domestic helper.
The 38-year old Capiceña who hails from Tapaz, Capiz was confirmed positive for the viral disease by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in a swab laboratory result released last June 17.
The patient was immediately given by the Department of Health (DOH) a 5-days medication period to ensure her complete recovery despite the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) was already showing signs of recovery from the illness through self medication.
Punsalan announced the “good news” amidst the second confirmed case of A H1N1 in the province contracted by a teenage student during a Roxas City press conference here.
For her part, Roxas City Health Officer Dr. Amelita Robles has sought the support of local mediamen to downplay the A H1N1 scare and focus on the dissemination of preventive measures for the disease.
The World Health Organization has declared last June 11 that the "world is now at the start of the 2009 Influenza Pandemic" after raising the Pandemic Alert Level for the novel Influenza A virus from Level 5 to Level 6.
However, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque clarified that the WHO declaration of Pandemic Alert Level 6 for A H1N1 virus focuses only on the geographic spread of the virus and not on its virulence or its capability to cause deaths or severe disease.(PIA/A.Lumaque)