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.
06/23/2009 | 09:51 AM
MANILA, Philippines – Parish churches in the archdiocese of Iloilo have began emptying their Holy Water Stoups aside from giving communion by hand and prohibiting hand-holding at Mass, as measures to stop the spread of A(H1N1)virus.
Jaro Archbishop and Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines president Angel Lagdameo has said the order to do the measures throughout archdiocese will be in effect for the duration of the pandemic.
"Holy Water Stoups shall be emptied of Holy Water and church-goers are advised just to make the sign of the Cross on entering and going out of the church," said the archdiocese's advisory posted on the news site The News Today.
The archdiocese has ordered that Holy Communion shall be given only through the hand.
Also, there shall be no holding of hands during the praying of the Lord's Prayer. "A simple nod shall suffice for the giving of Peace," The diocesan advisory added.
On the other hand, priests and lay ministers distributing communion during the Mass must wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water or alcohol-based sanitizers before and after the Mass.
Lagdameo also urged the priests to include in their petition at every mass that God will heal those who have been stricken by the A(H1N1) virus. - GMANews.TV
From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.
06/18/2009 | 12:27 PM
BEIJING — Dozens of American high school students quarantined in central China after some of their classmates were diagnosed with swine flu will be released Thursday, said an employee at the hotel where they have been held.
The 33 students and teachers quarantined at the Ruihao Hotel in Yichang city will go to Shanghai, said a hotel receptionist who declined to give her name. The Americans could not be reached by phone, and the US Embassy in Beijing had no immediate comment.
Seven others in the group of 42 people from the private Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad, California, tested positive for swine flu and were hospitalized in stable condition. The status of two others was not immediately clear, but a school spokeswoman Wednesday night said some were in the hospital with other illnesses.
The Hubei provincial swine flu command center, which oversees Yichang, had no immediate comment Thursday.
In South Korea, the Health Ministry said Thursday that an Australian lacrosse team was released after a five-day quarantine, put in place after a player tested positive on arrival in the country.
The American students, who left for China on June 2, visited Beijing and Xi'an and embarked on a river cruise to the Three Gorges Dam when a handful of students and one teacher started feeling sick. When the boat docked, they were taken to a nearby hospital.
The total number of cases on the mainland rose to 264, but no deaths have occurred, the Health Ministry said.
China plans to conduct regular health checks at schools, nurseries, homes for the aged and construction sites in the event of a swine flu outbreak at the community level, according to a new work plan released Wednesday. Further steps in a worsening outbreak include shutting schools, nurseries and entertainment venues and canceling large gatherings.
The virus continued to spread across the region. In New Zealand, the Roman Catholic Church imposed a ban on priests placing communion wafers on the tongues of worshippers and on the sharing of communion wine. It also asked parishioners to avoid bodily contact at services, including shaking hands. The country reported 28 new cases of swine flu Wednesday, bringing its total to 127.
Hong Kong reported 54 more cases, bringing its total to 172. The new cases included 26 students at the Australian International School, which suspended classes for two weeks Tuesday.
In Malaysia, the Health Ministry said it detected the country's first domestic transmission of swine flu, bringing the total number of cases to 23.
In the Philippines, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the number of cases reached 311.
Australia said it would begin using a new, more moderate swine flu response plan starting Wednesday, with health officials saying the virus was not as severe as initially feared.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the new plan focuses less on trying to keep infected people out of Australia and more on identifying and treating those hit hardest by the virus.
Although most of the more than 1,200 cases in Australia have been mild, three people are currently hospitalized in intensive care, Roxon said.
Thailand's Public Health Ministry confirmed 95 new cases, bringing the country's total to 405.
In Singapore, the Health Ministry said the risk of swine flu spreading in the city-state has increased, as people went shopping or to work after arriving from abroad with the virus. It has reported 49 cases.
The World Health Organization has warned countries to prepare for a second wave of infections once their outbreaks have peaked, saying the virus could mutate. - AP
From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.
06/18/2009 | 10:38 AM
BEIJING — Dozens of American high school students were quarantined in central China after some were diagnosed with swine flu, the government said. In New Zealand, the Roman Catholic Church placed restrictions on communion to stop the spread of the virus.
A group of 42 American high school students and teachers was quarantined last Thursday in Yichang city in central Hubei province, China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
Seven people in the group, from the private Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad, California, were hospitalized in stable condition after testing positive for swine flu, said a man who answered the phone at the Yichang command center for swine flu.
The students, who left for China on June 2, visited Beijing and Xi'an and embarked on a river cruise to the Three Gorges Dam when a handful of students and one teacher started feeling sick. When the boat docked, they were taken to a nearby hospital.
The total number of cases on the mainland rose to 264, but no deaths have occurred, the Health Ministry said.
China plans to conduct regular health checks at schools, nurseries, homes for the aged and construction sites in the event of a swine flu outbreak at the community level, according to a new work plan released Wednesday. Further steps in a worsening outbreak include shutting schools, nurseries and entertainment venues and canceling large gatherings.
The virus continued to spread across the region. In New Zealand, the Roman Catholic Church imposed a ban on priests placing communion wafers on the tongues of worshippers and on the sharing of communion wine. It also asked parishioners to avoid bodily contact at services, including shaking hands. The country reported 28 new cases of swine flu Wednesday, bringing its total to 127.
Hong Kong reported 54 more cases, bringing its total to 172. The new cases included 26 students at the Australian International School, which suspended classes for two weeks Tuesday.
In Malaysia, the Health Ministry said it detected the country's first domestic transmission of swine flu, bringing the total number of cases to 23.
In the Philippines, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the number of cases reached 311.
Australia said it would begin using a new, more moderate swine flu response plan starting Wednesday, with health officials saying the virus was not as severe as initially feared.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the new plan focuses less on trying to keep infected people out of Australia and more on identifying and treating those hit hardest by the virus.
Although most of the more than 1,200 cases in Australia have been mild, three people are currently hospitalized in intensive care, Roxon said.
Thailand's Public Health Ministry confirmed 95 new cases, bringing the country's total to 405.
In Singapore, the Health Ministry said the risk of swine flu spreading in the city-state has increased, as people went shopping or to work after arriving from abroad with the virus. It has reported 49 cases.
The World Health Organization has warned countries to prepare for a second wave of infections once their outbreaks have peaked, saying the virus could mutate. - AP
From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.
