JAEN, Nueva Ecija – Even as it is described as only “mild”, the onslaught of the A(H1N1) virus may still prove fatal – to “high risks persons”, that is.
According to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, the high risks persons, in so far as the current problem on the A(H1N1) virus is concerned, are those suffering from heart disease, diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease especially those who have lung disease because of smoking, cancer, and the obese people.
“It was observed, especially in Mexico, that when these persons caught the virus, their health conditions aggravated and some of them died,” Duque said here Wednesday.
Duque said that although more than 300 individuals have tested positive of the virus, there was no recorded death yet nor even near-death conditions from among those who caught the virus.
To preclude possible death, the health secretary said he has ordered health officials to give high priority attention to the “high risks group”.
“We have ordered our regional health officers to locate these persons down to the barangay level and give them priority attention for medical help to prevent them from catching the virus,” Duque said.
This will be done, he said, with the help of provincial and municipal health personnel, barangay health workers and local government authorities.
He said that once these persons are identified, they will be listed, and given priority attention. They will be monitored, given lectures, and medication, he added.
“But it doesn’t mean to say that we will give less attention to other groups of persons who were afflicted with the disease or are now being treated because of their flu-like symptoms.” Duque said.
The health secretary arrived past 1 p.m. at the municipal hall here and talked with the first two victims of the virus who are both pupils of the Hilera Elementary School. It was at that school, some eight kilometers from the Poblacion here, where 22 pupils first complained of high fever and other flu-like symptoms. The number swelled later on to 42, including some residents in the community, and 10 elementary school pupils and one four-year old boy were found positive of the virus.
The DOH declared barangay Hilera the first and only place in the country as having a community level outbreak of the A (H1N1) virus.
“As you can see, these two youngsters are now bubbly and well. They recovered very easily,” Duque said.
The two youngsters, who gave their names as Arnel Ferrer and Bernadette Paynor and in Grade VI, were interviewed by the secretary as regards their experience in being downed by the virus. He later called them the “Malakas and Maganda” of the Philippine problem of the virus, which referred to the myth about the first male and female Filipinos who were epitomes of the strong and beautiful men and women.
Duque said he gathered from the two former victims of the virus that they initially had fever of 40.3 degrees Celsius, with headache, and they felt like vomiting. The following day, however, their temperature dropped to 36 degrees.
One of them even played and even kissed her baby sister but the sister did not show any flu-like symptom, he said quoting from the mothers’ narration of events.
“Tatlong araw daw, malalakas na sila (Three days later, they felt strong) after getting medication, rest and vitamins),” Duque told health officials, local government officials, journalists and parents here who gathered in the office of Mayor Santy Austria. “Hindi naman daw sila pumayat (They said they did not lose weight),” he added.
Duque said he came here and talked with the victims, parents, and local officials about the results of the mitigation efforts being administered with the patients and the attention being given to those who are coming out with flu-like symptoms. He also wanted to see for himself how “our health personnel and other stakeholders are doing on the ground.
It was his first time, he said, that he came face-to-face with the victim of the virus.
He thanked local officials, health personnel, teachers, barangay officials, and other volunteers for exerting extra efforts in helping mitigate the effects of the virus. He added that they have been doing excellent job in helping contain and mitigate the effects of the virus which has affected 74 countries of the world.
He emphasized anew that the A(H1N1) virus is mild. He said dengue, influenza, and other ailments caused by other types of virus recorded more deaths than the swine-flu virus.
More than 80 percent of those found positive of this virus have already recovered and the rest are fast recovering.
In this town, he said, no new cases were reported but the surveillance of health personnel had expanded to ten more barangays here.
Mayor Austria reported that one teacher and one child in pre-school class were reported to have fallen with flu-like sypmtons.
Duque told the school principal Ruperto Castro that the suspension of classes in his school will not be extended. Thus, he may resume classes Monday, he said, after the lapse of the ten-day suspension of classes.
According to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, the high risks persons, in so far as the current problem on the A(H1N1) virus is concerned, are those suffering from heart disease, diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease especially those who have lung disease because of smoking, cancer, and the obese people.
“It was observed, especially in Mexico, that when these persons caught the virus, their health conditions aggravated and some of them died,” Duque said here Wednesday.
Duque said that although more than 300 individuals have tested positive of the virus, there was no recorded death yet nor even near-death conditions from among those who caught the virus.
To preclude possible death, the health secretary said he has ordered health officials to give high priority attention to the “high risks group”.
“We have ordered our regional health officers to locate these persons down to the barangay level and give them priority attention for medical help to prevent them from catching the virus,” Duque said.
This will be done, he said, with the help of provincial and municipal health personnel, barangay health workers and local government authorities.
He said that once these persons are identified, they will be listed, and given priority attention. They will be monitored, given lectures, and medication, he added.
“But it doesn’t mean to say that we will give less attention to other groups of persons who were afflicted with the disease or are now being treated because of their flu-like symptoms.” Duque said.
The health secretary arrived past 1 p.m. at the municipal hall here and talked with the first two victims of the virus who are both pupils of the Hilera Elementary School. It was at that school, some eight kilometers from the Poblacion here, where 22 pupils first complained of high fever and other flu-like symptoms. The number swelled later on to 42, including some residents in the community, and 10 elementary school pupils and one four-year old boy were found positive of the virus.
The DOH declared barangay Hilera the first and only place in the country as having a community level outbreak of the A (H1N1) virus.
“As you can see, these two youngsters are now bubbly and well. They recovered very easily,” Duque said.
The two youngsters, who gave their names as Arnel Ferrer and Bernadette Paynor and in Grade VI, were interviewed by the secretary as regards their experience in being downed by the virus. He later called them the “Malakas and Maganda” of the Philippine problem of the virus, which referred to the myth about the first male and female Filipinos who were epitomes of the strong and beautiful men and women.
Duque said he gathered from the two former victims of the virus that they initially had fever of 40.3 degrees Celsius, with headache, and they felt like vomiting. The following day, however, their temperature dropped to 36 degrees.
One of them even played and even kissed her baby sister but the sister did not show any flu-like symptom, he said quoting from the mothers’ narration of events.
“Tatlong araw daw, malalakas na sila (Three days later, they felt strong) after getting medication, rest and vitamins),” Duque told health officials, local government officials, journalists and parents here who gathered in the office of Mayor Santy Austria. “Hindi naman daw sila pumayat (They said they did not lose weight),” he added.
Duque said he came here and talked with the victims, parents, and local officials about the results of the mitigation efforts being administered with the patients and the attention being given to those who are coming out with flu-like symptoms. He also wanted to see for himself how “our health personnel and other stakeholders are doing on the ground.
It was his first time, he said, that he came face-to-face with the victim of the virus.
He thanked local officials, health personnel, teachers, barangay officials, and other volunteers for exerting extra efforts in helping mitigate the effects of the virus. He added that they have been doing excellent job in helping contain and mitigate the effects of the virus which has affected 74 countries of the world.
He emphasized anew that the A(H1N1) virus is mild. He said dengue, influenza, and other ailments caused by other types of virus recorded more deaths than the swine-flu virus.
More than 80 percent of those found positive of this virus have already recovered and the rest are fast recovering.
In this town, he said, no new cases were reported but the surveillance of health personnel had expanded to ten more barangays here.
Mayor Austria reported that one teacher and one child in pre-school class were reported to have fallen with flu-like sypmtons.
Duque told the school principal Ruperto Castro that the suspension of classes in his school will not be extended. Thus, he may resume classes Monday, he said, after the lapse of the ten-day suspension of classes.
