Masses may be suspended if flu spread worsens – CBCP

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06/28/2009 | 12:58 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The Catholic Church is considering suspending Masses should the spread of the A(H1N1) flu virus become worse in the Philippines – as a "last resort."

But Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, along with some priests and parishioners, thinks the proposal unnecessary, according to Mariz Umali in her GMA Weekend Report aired on Sunday, shortly after midnight.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines made the announcement through Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Yñiguez.

However, suspending Masses would be a "drastic measure," Yñiguez stressed in an interview with GMA's Lala Roque.

"We will have to evaluate that [the situation]... lalo na yang misa, yan ang pinakamahalagang gawaiin natin bilang mga Katoliko [especially since the Mass is our most impontant activity as Catholics]," Yñiguez said.

In response, Duque said: "Walang gumagawa ng ganoon sa ibang bansa, kahit na yung mataas ang kanilang kaso. Kasi mild lang ito. Wala tayong problema dito kasi mild cases lang 'to. Hindi kailangan pahintuin ang pagmimisa ng mga tao."

[No other country has done that, not even those with a high incidence of flu. This is a mild flu. We don't have a problem here because our cases are mild. There's no need to stop people from going to Mass.]

Fr. Ed Guarin of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Quezon City echoed the same sentiment, saying that most of the people in his church did not mind holding hands while singing "Our Father" because they were acquainted with each other.

Earlier this month, the Church modified mass services, disallowing hand-to-mouth communion and holding hands while singing the Our Father. But these traditional practices have returned in some churches.

Earlier on Saturday, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo 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. But health officials contacted by GMANews were caught by surprise by the directive and implied that it was impractical and unnecessary.

An official, who is involved in controlling the spread of the virus and requested anonymity, said that there's no need to deploy mobile clinics in Metro Manila because there are already many hospitals in the city.

"The principle behind the directive is just to make sure that treatment is available wherever and whenever it is needed. So maybe we can still to find ways to implement the directive in a more practical way," she said. The official suggested that they just have to ensure that their response teams are really working at the local levels.

"Kaya naman kasi gamutin ang mild cases ng A(H1N1) virus ng mga rural clinics and hospitals [Rural clinics and hospitals can cure the mild cases of the A(H1N1) virus]," Health Undersecretary Mario Villaverde said in an interview with GMANews.TV.

As of Friday, the DOH said that there have been 861 confirmed cases as of A(H1N1) in the country. Villaverde, however, said that this "overwhelming" number of A(H1N1) cases are easily treated and do not need to be managed in a hospital setting.

Arroyo also ordered the DOH to prepare "well-equipped isolation wards" in state-run facilities. But Villaverde said most hospitals already have such rooms.

"I think all hospitals have assigned rooms, and there's no special equipment needed for A(H1N1) but oxygen tanks," said the undersecretary.

The other official was, however, quick to mention that the DOH has yet to settle all the matters regarding the implementation of the directive.

"I don't know if a dialogue transpired between Malacañang and Secretary Duque but I guess the Palace gave the directive because they think these are the best options," she said.

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). Excerpts the directive were read by Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, who is with Arroyo in Hong Kong, on government-run dzRB radio Saturday.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III was not immediately available for comment but he will be holding a command conference with the regional directors of the DOH to discuss the additional proposed measures against the A(H1N1) virus on Tuesday.

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."

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. - GMANews.TV
 

From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.

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Swine flu toll tops 50

AFP - Sunday, May 10

SAN JOSE (AFP) - - The death toll from swine flu topped 50 on Saturday as Costa Rica reported its first fatality from the virus and Japan and Norway joined a growing list of nations with confirmed cases.

In Costa Rica, Health Minister Maria Luisa Avila said the victim was a 53-year-old man who died on Saturday after more than a week in a hospital in the capital San Jose.

The man had been suffering from other health problems, including diabetes and a chronic pulmonary condition. Eight other Costa Ricans had contracted A(H1N1) influenza, as the virus is officially known, Avila said.

In Tokyo, a teacher and two students returning from North America tested positive for swine flu in the first confirmed cases of the virus in Japan, the government said.

Japanese authorities quarantined the 46-year-old man and 16-year-old boys, who had been on a high school trip to Canada, and 49 others who were aboard their flight as it arrived in Tokyo on Friday from the US city of Detroit.

Seven of the 49 were later taken to hospital as they had flu symptoms, a health ministry official said.

In Norway, health officials announced the first two confirmed swine flu cases, both young adults who had recently returned from Mexico.

There have now been 48 deaths recorded in Mexico along with two US deaths and one each in Canada and Costa Rica. The World Health Organization has still to confirm three of the Mexican fatalities and the latest one from Costa Rica.

While Mexico was the epicenter of the global swine flu epidemic, the United States has overtaken its southern neighbor to become the country with the most number of cases.

The United States now has 2,254 confirmed cases with 104 people hospitalized; Mexico has recorded 1,626 cases including its 48 deaths, and done 5,580 tests.
US cases were confirmed in 44 of the 50 US states and the capital Washington. Health authorities were now focusing on the characteristics of the new virus and on developing a vaccine, said Anne Schuchat of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Swine flu has now been reported in a total of 31 nations and the latest WHO figures -- which don't include new cases in Costa Rica, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Spain and the United States -- put the total number of infected at 3,440.

Canada has the world's third highest number of swine flu infections, with 224 cases, and on Friday reported its first death.

The sharp increase in cases from WHO's Friday count of 2,500 cases reflected the doubling of confirmed cases in the United States.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso said the three confirmed cases were not considered a domestic outbreak because they were intercepted at the airport.

The teacher and students had stayed in Oakville, west of Toronto, on a school trip from April 24 until last Thursday. The teacher remained sick while the two students were recovering, officials said.

Mexico gradually returned to life this week, reopening tourist sites, Mexico City eateries, theaters and cinemas after a shutdown of more than a week. Universities and high schools reopened on Thursday and primary schools were due back on Monday.

US President Barack Obama warned the United States on Friday that it was not out of the woods yet, as across the nation's northern border a woman in western Alberta province became the first person in Canada to succumb to the disease.

"We are seeing that the virus may not have been as virulent as we at first feared," Obama said at a Spanish-language town hall-style meeting at the White House.

"But we are not out of the woods yet. We still have to take precautions."

The US president warned the autumn and winter flu season later in the year could be "even worse" and see cases spike again.

From Yahoo! News; see the source article here.

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