Image via Wikipedia06/27/2009 | 11:34 PM
MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Saturday ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to organize quick reaction teams and mobile testing facilities for deployment to areas affected by the A(H1N1) virus.
She said also sent the order to the Department of Agriculture (DA), excerpts of which were read by Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, who is with Arroyo in Hong Kong, on government-run dzRB radio Saturday.
For the quick response teams, the President ordered the DOH tap from the pool of "still-to-be-employed" nurses, and organize information and education teams about A(H1N1).
She also asked the department to prepare "well-equipped isolation wards in state-run hospitals and health facilities."
The DOH was also ordered to place the A(H1N1) alert level in the country at the alert level of the World Health Organization "for increased alertness and preparedness."
Schools with A(H1N1) cases
Arroyo issued the directives as three more schools were added to the list of educational institutions confirmed to have cases of the A(H1N1) virus in the country, upping the previous tally to 43 Philippine schools with at least 154 swine flu cases.
In a report aired over Q's Balitanghali, the Batangas Municipal Health Office confirmed that 24 students from the Banilad Elementary School in Nasugbu, Batangas were confirmed to be infected with the virus.
All the 24 students have reportedly been self-quarantined and are getting well. The school has also been closed for 10 days.
A high school student, on the other hand, from the Chiang Kai Shek College in Manila has also recently tested positive for A(H1N1).
The Southville International School in Las Piñas also confirmed Saturday that they have a high school student who was confirmed with the A(H1N1) virus last Thursday, June 25.
"On Friday (June 19), she (student with the virus) said she was not feeling well. By Saturday (June 20), she started to get sick and did not come to class ever since," Southville High School principal Anthony Calado told GMANews.TV in a phone interview.
When she finally tested positive for the virus, Calado said they suspended classes.
The college students, however, are already set to return on Monday. This, said the high school principal, is because they were in a separate building from the infected student.
The high school students, on the other hand, will return to class on Wednesday - 12 days after the confirmed case last attended classes.
This development brings the number of schools in Metro Manila with confirmed A(H1N1) cases to 34, specifically in Las Piñas, Caloocan, Makati, Mandaluying, Manila, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Paranaque, Pasig, Quezon City, San Juan, and Taguig.
Schools in the provinces also with swine flu cases, on the other hand, upped to nine. This includes Batangas, Rizal, Bulacan, Cebu, Laguna, Leyte, and Nueva Ecija.
The number of A(H1N1) cases in the country has swelled to 861, the DOH said Friday.
But Duque said the fully recovered patients still stands at 634, 74 percent of the total number of confirmed cases reported since May 21.
"The number of fully recovered patients is the same as the previous update because the present reported cases are still getting treatment and recuperating either in hospitals or their homes," he explained.
As of June 24, the World Health Organization reported 55,867 swine flu cases with 238 deaths from 102 reporting countries.
Warning vs food supplements guising as A(H1N1) cure
And as some food supplements continue to project themselves as cures for A(H1N1), the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) advised the public not to fall for such claims.
The BFAD also warned makers and distributors of such products they can face criminal charges for violating the Consumer Act.
"It must be stressed that to date, there are no food supplements, drugs, medicines or vaccines that have been registered or applied for registration with the BFAD that specifically prevents, cures, treats or mitigates against the new Influenza A(H1N1) virus," it said in a public health advisory signed by acting director Nazarita Tacandong.
Such ads can create an "erroneous impression" that the products concerned can prevent, cure, treat or mitigate dreaded virus, it added.
The BFAD advisory also warned manufacturers and distributors of these food and pharmaceutical products that their claims can violate the Consumer Act, a BFAD circular providing guidelines on nutrition and health claims in food, and misbranding in the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
It then advised the public to report such advertisements to it at 809-43-90 local 1051.
Meanwhile, Tacandong said the BFAD has sent cease-and-desist orders to firms behind ads promoting food supplements as cures for A(H1N1).
In a radio interview, Tacandong said the BFAD expects to get a more complete list of offenders during a meeting of its inspectors.
"Ang advisory ilalabas sa website at diyaryo [We will issue advisories in our website and in the newspapers]," she said in an interview on dzXL radio.
Help for hog raisers
On the other hand, Arroyo ordered DA under Secretary Arthur Yap to help the "tens of thousands" of silent but hurting hog raisers whose plight has been largely ignored.
She cited reports that backyard and small-scale hog raisers had been suffering as farm gate prices dropped because of "baseless fears about unsafe pork."
Arroyo said the DA should assure consumers there was no swine flu in local hog farms.
"Local pork is safe to eat, there is no single case of swine flu report from the Bureau of Animal Industry and the National Meat Inspection Service," she said.
"On top of properly informing the public, the DA should carry out all preparations necessary to prevent swine flu from infecting local hog farms," she added. - Kimberly Jane Tan, GMANews.TV
From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.
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