DOH, DepEd urged to launch more HIV awareness, campaign information among Filipino youth

 

NEWSNATIONAL

BY HANNAH TORREGOZA 

  

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Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday, March 15 called on the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Education (DepEd) to step up efforts on raising the youth’s awareness on the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV.
 
Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, made the call following the release of the HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines for January 2023, which revealed that 86 cases were recorded among children and adolescents or those aged 19 and below. 
 
The same study cited that 79 percent of these cases were prevalent among adolescents aged 10 to 19, while seven were less than 10 years old.
 
“Nakakaalarma at nakakalungkot isipin na kung sino pa ang dapat na binibigyan ng dobleng pag-aaruga dahil sa kanilang murang edad at kahinaan ay sila pa ang nakakaranas ng matinding pagdurusa (It is alarming and sad to think that those who should be given double care because of their young age and weakness are the ones who are experiencing great suffering),” Gatchalian said in a statement.
 
“Ang nakababahalang balitang ito ay kinakailangan ng mas maigting na pakikipag-ugnayan ng DOH sa iba't ibang ahensya ng gobyerno at mga lokal na pamahalaan para ikalat nang husto ang kaalaman tungkol sa sakit at kung paano maiwasan ito (This alarming news calls for closer collaboration by the DOH with various government agencies and local governments to widely spread knowledge about the disease and how to prevent it),” he said.
 
The same study also showed that the total number of new HIV cases for the month of January was 1,454. Of the 1,365 reported cases acquired through sexual contact, 998 or 70 percent were males who reported having sex with another male, 193 or 13 percent were males having sex with females, and 240 or 17 percent were males having sex with both males and females.
 
Gatchalian pointed out the findings of the University of the Philippines Population Institute’s (UPPI) 2021 Young Adult and Fertility Sexuality Survey (YAFSS) also revealed that youth awareness of HIV and acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) dropped to 78% in 2021—the lowest recorded since 1994 when the rate of youth awareness on HIV and AIDS was 95 percent. 
 
In 2013, the percentage of youth who were aware of HIV and AIDS already dropped to 85 percent.
 
Because of this, the lawmaker said he will pursue a Senate inquiry on HIV infections among youth, as well as adolescent pregnancies. 
 
Last year, Gatchalian filed Senate Resolution No.13 in a bid to review and assess the DepEd’s implementation of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE).
 
“Nais nating tiyakin na sapat ang kaalaman ng ating mga kabataan pagdating sa HIV, lalo na’t maaaring magdulot ito ng pinsala sa kanilang kalusugan at kapakanan. Susuriin natin kung paano natuturuan ang ating mga kabataan upang pangalagaan ang kanilang mga kalusugan (We want to make sure that our young people have enough knowledge when it comes to HIV, especially because it can cause damage to their health and well-being. We will examine how our youth are educated to take care of their health),” the senator stressed. 

PH now has over 118K dengue cases—DOH

THE Aedes Aegypti mosquito that transmits dengue.

by Analou de Vera, Manila Bulletin

The Philippines continue to see a rise in dengue cases as it already recorded more than 118,000 cases since the start of this year.

A total of 118,526 dengue cases across the country were already logged from Jan. 1 to Aug. 6, as shown in the latest data of the Department of Health (DOH).

This figure is 153 percent higher compared to the 46,761 dengue cases reported during the same period last year.

Most of the dengue cases were recorded in Central Luzon with 21,242, Central Visayas with 11,363, and Metro Manila with 10,937.

Deaths related to dengue also stood at 399. This is higher compared to the 167 fatalities recorded during the same period last year.

Most of the deaths were logged in Central Visayas with 68, Western Visayas with 51, and Central Luzon with 41.

The DOH continuously reminded the public to practice the 4s strategy against dengue.

These 4S strategy consists of: search and destroy mosquito breeding places, secure self-protection, seek early consultation, and support fogging/ spraying only in hotspot areas where increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent impending outbreak, the DOH said.

DoH launches smoke-free beaches campaign

Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd. File Photo

By Red Mendoza, Manila Times

IN celebration of World No Tobacco Day, the Department of Health (DoH) has launched a campaign that promotes smoke-free beaches, parks, and tourist destinations across the country, starting in Boracay Island and in Aklan province.

The campaign, which is in collaboration with Viral Strategies and Smoke Free Philippines, aims to showcase tourist destinations as pilot areas for smoke-free beaches.

The Smoke-Free Beaches campaign will begin at Station 2 in Boracay, before moving to other premiere beach destinations and beaches such as in Caramoan and in Palawan.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd said the initiative was developed to protect beaches, parks and tourist destinations from the environmental ill-effects of tobacco.

"With this, we hope to further raise awareness and create new areas of impact in our overall effort to ensure the health of the Filipino people," Duque added.

He hopes that the campaign will unify the goal of the DoH in providing universal health care, which also includes "giving families an environment that lets them enjoy healthily without exposure to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke."

Around 4.5 trillion cigarettes become waste and 4.2 million cigarette butts end up in beaches and waterways. Moreover, according to global tobacco industry watchdog Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP), plastic and chemical contents in cigarette filters have been shown to destroy marine life and water quality.

In a related story, 321 pairs of shoes and slippers were displayed at the main lobby of the Lung Center of the Philippines to commemorate 321 Filipinos who die every day due to tobacco-related diseases.

The art installation signified the call to have stronger tobacco control legislation in order to save more lives.

Dr. Jessica Catalan-Legarda, chairman for advocacy of the Lung Center of the Philippines, said there should be an ecosystem of policies that would make it easier for Filipinos to quit the "deadly habit of smoking."

"Raising taxes on tobacco products and banning their advertising, promotions, and sponsorships are just some of the policies needed to create a healthier environment for Filipinos," she added.

Dr. Glynna Ong-Cabrera, project director of the DoH Quitline program, said that quitting smoking is not just a matter of personal responsibility, noting that tobacco companies continue to sell and market these products.

She added that tobacco products are designed to make it difficult for smokers to quit, which could put them at risk in developing tobacco-related diseases that could lead to death.

DOH: Gov't still studying return to 'new normal' Alert Level 1 by March

 Commuters disembark from a train at a station in Manila on Feb. 16, 2022

By Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — With cases around the country going down and vaccination numbers rising, the national government is preparing to shift to Alert Level 1 or the “new normal,” the head of the One Hospital Command Center said Sunday. 

Speaking in an interview aired over DZBB Super Radyo, health undersecretary and treatment czar Leopoldo Vega said that the IATF would mull a shift to Alert Level 1 once more by end-February. The Department of Health has since taken the position that the public will "have to move on and live with the virus."

What will 'new normal' look like? Full capacity at venues but face masks stay on

"We are still looking at the metrics now and they are good, although they are looking good... under Alert Level 1, almost everything is normal but that doesn't mean the virus is gone," he said in Filipino, adding that the relaxing of restrictions should still be done gradually.

"If we are to be downgraded to Alert Level 1, we must have flexible plans in case we are returned to Alert Level 2... We must have something like 'infection forecasting.'"

As of this writing, 80.7 percent of Metro Manila is fully vaccinated. Vega pointed out, however, that only around 20 percent of the Bangsamoro region are fully inoculated. 

"Our next target is 80% of the population at 80 million by June," he said. "There are still some parts of Mindanao that are still difficult to vaccinate after Typhoon Odette."

Trend still downward: OCTA

In a tweet, Dr. Guido David, a fellow of the independent pandemic monitor OCTA Research, noted that the coronavirus numbers in Metro Manila have been "nearly flat the past 3 days."

"Numbers in the NCR are not decreasing as fast as what we wanted...but this should not be a cause for concern," he said. 

The Department of Health reported just 1,923 cases of COVID-19 on Saturday afternoon, only 392 of which were from the National Capital Region. "This shows that the trend is still downward," David said. 

Of that number, 74 cases were from the City of Manila while 67 were from Quezon City. Parañaque also had 41. No other city in the Metro breached 40 cases. 

A number of Metro Manila's COVID-19 indicators — namely the reproduction number and healthcare utilization rate — were classified as "very low" as of Friday. 

Of note, the positivity rate as of February 18 was at a moderate risk six percent, getting close to the World Health Organization's recommendation of five percent for opening economies. 

Among provinces and regions in the country, Cebu and Davao Del Sur recorded 131 and 101, respectively. No other area had more than 100. 

— Franco Luna 

DOH sees community transmission of Omicron in Metro Manila

By: Xave Gregorio - Philstar.com

Passengers present their vaccination cards to personnel upon entry at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) in Tambo, Parañaque City on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. The Department of Transportation has started implementingn a "no vaccination, no ride" policy on public transportation throughout Metro Manila.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health said Saturday that there is community transmission of the highly infectious Omicron variant in Metro Manila, the epicenter of the latest surge in infections in the country that is reaching unprecedented highs.

“We are seeing community transmission of the Omicron variant here in the National Capital Region,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in Filipino over state-run People’s Television.

DOH: Philippines now at 'critical risk' for COVID-19.

Community transmission means that an infectious disease has spread extensively in a group of people, so much so that the source of the infection can no longer be traced.

“While our whole genome sequencing is lagging behind, we have already determined that there are local cases,” Vergeire said, adding that current COVID-19 trends in the country are “characteristic” of an Omicron-driven wave.

The Philippines has so far detected 43 cases of the Omicron variant, which is believed to be driving the steep increase in COVID-19 infections. Meanwhile, there are 8,497 cases of the Delta variant in the country.

While whole genome sequencing has been slow, the Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has declared that Omicron is now the dominant variant in the country, outpacing the Delta variant that previously drove a surge in cases beginning in August 2020.

From January 6 to 12, Metro Manila logged 83,649 cases — the highest ever in a week — according to preliminary data from the Department of Health.

The new wave of infections, suspected to be driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant, started out in Metro Manila and is now beginning to spread outside of the capital region, prompting the government’s pandemic task force to tighten coronavirus curbs in most of the country.

But Vergeire said that the DOH is still not seeing the peak of coronavirus cases, even after new infections hit an all-time high on Friday, when health authorities reported 37,207 new cases.

“We are still yet to see the peak which may happen at the end of the month or even later in the second week of February,” she said, adding that active cases may even double by next month.

Sarangani hospitals get P95-M medical equipment from DOH

Photo taken by Jake Narte on October 26 during the ceremonial turnover of brand-new medical equipment and supplies at the Sarangani Healthcare Facility.

ALABEL, Sarangani (November 4, 2021) – The six provincial government-run hospitals in Sarangani have obtained P95-million worth of brand-new medical equipment from the Department of Health (DOH) as part of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law.

Total equipment cost for each hospital varies with the P20M for Glan Medicare Community Hospital, P10M for the Malungon Municipal Hospital, P14.5M for Maasim Municipal Hospital, P20M for Dr. Cornelio T. Martinez Sr. Memorial Hospital in Kiamba, P6M for Maitum Municipal Hospital, and P25M for the Sarangani Healthcare Facility (SHF) inside Capitol compound in Alabel.

Health Regional Director Dr. Aristides Tan turned over the medical equipment on October 27 at the SHF which were part of their “2017 fund allocation” for the provision of medical equipment in the different hospitals in the region.

In Sarangani, the equipment turned over were X-ray, Ultrasound and Ventilator machines, a brand-new unit of ambulance and operating tables which Provincial Health Officer Dr. Arvin Alejandro expected to “drive the medical staff to better their service to the people.”

According to Alejandro, the said equipment will immediately be of use soon as the supplier will finish the installation as well as the needed training and orientation to properly operate the equipment.

As among the pilot sites of the implementation of the UHC, Alejandaro said Sarangani was afforded with the medical equipment as the UHC Law, he said, targets to provide equipment and other needs of the hospitals in the identified implementation sites.

“For as long as we comply with the necessary requirements for the UHC maturity levels one, two and three," Alejandro said, "there are more coming equipment and supplies next year."

RD Tan anticipated the equipment delivered will be a “driving force” for the improvement of the three Level 1 hospitals in Sarangani and for the Sarangani Healthcare Facility to deliver the “best medical service.”

He, too, expected that implementation of the UHC Law in the province will be successful.

As of this writing, Sarangani has already three Level 1 hospitals situated in Malungon, Glan and Kiamba. Alejandro said these “are duly approved to serve as Covid—19 facility.” Also, he said, the SHF is already applying for its accreditation to be a Level 1 hospital.

“A certificate of need has already been issued which is the first requirement to become a Level 1 hospital,” Alejandro said.

The continuous improvements in the health sector in Sarangani were made possible with the strong tandem of Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon, Deputy Speaker Congressman Rogelio Pacquiao, and Vice Governor Elmer De Peralta with the full support of the town mayors and all the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

Meanwhile, Governor Solon commended all the medical staff “who are tirelessly working and who are taking the risk every day to give their service to those who are in need.”

The UHC Law was signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in February 2019 to usher in massive reforms in the Philippine health sector.

Among the salient features of the UHC Law are the expansion of population, service, and financial coverage through an array of health system amendments.

The UHC Law ensures that every Filipino is healthy, protected from health hazards and risks, and has access to affordable, quality, and readily available health service that is suitable to their needs.

 (Joshua John Pantonial/SARANGANI PROVINCIAL INFORMATION OFFICE)

Alarm Over Malaria in Palawan

THE Department of Health (DOH) in the Mimaropa region has expressed anxiety over the increase in malaria cases in Palawan last year and the possibility of it being sustained this year.

In a statement, DOH–Mimaropa Director Eduardo Janairo noted how the province registered a higher number of malaria cases in 2015 with 7,437 and 13 deaths compared to 4,206 cases with five deaths in 2014.

From January 1 to February 19 this year, a total of 13 new malaria cases have already been recorded by the DOH-Mimaropa Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit.

Palawan municipalities with the reported malaria cases were Taytay with six; Bataraza, three; San Vicente, two; and Sofronio Espanola and Puerto Princesa City with one each.

Because of this, Janairo said he has already ordered a three-cycle Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) operation in all malaria endemic areas in Palawan.

"In this way, the effective and immediate elimination of malaria causing mosquitoes in the target municipalities can be assured and reduction of malaria cases in the province can be achieved," said Janairo.

The IRS operations, he said, will start next month in different concerned municipalities.

In addition, Janairo said a total of 241,800 of long lasting insecticide treated nets have been set for distribution in all areas of concern in Palawan.

Malaria is a disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female mosquitoes.

Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, chills, and vomiting and can progress into severe illness and death if not given prompt treatment.

Mimaropa is composed of the provinces of Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan. (HDT/Sunnex)

Be Again On Guard Against Dengue

The Philippines' weather bureau predicts the onset of the rainy season now. The usually rainy season is six months in the Philippines - from June to November each year. With rains comes flooding, along with threat of illnesses such as dengue fever.

We are all advised here to be vigilant against dengue, a perennial health problem, prevalent in tropical countries such the Philippines. Anyone can fall ill with dengue fever any time during the year but the number of patients increases during the raining season. The dengue-carrying mosquito  called AEDES AEGYPTI, which is black with white spots, lays eggs in clear waters found in flower vases, cans, bamboo husks, empty soft drink bottles, rain barrels, and old rubber tires. Left undetected and treated, dengue could lead to a number of complications.

An expert warned against a "secondary mosquito species - the AEDES ALBOPICTUS - as a possible dengue risk. The forest area at Mount Makiling in Laguna is said to be the natural habitat of this specie. The Department of Health is conducting further studies to validate the threat from this "secondary mosquito species".

The first quarter of 2012 registered a 28.96 percent drop in dengue cases, mostly in Metro Manila - from 23.241 cases in the same period last year, to 16.511 cases this year.

BUT, be on guard as there is no treatment, cure, or vaccine for dengue. A way to prevent it is to maintain clean surroundings to eliminate breeding sites. Prevention involves regular clean up, fogging, spraying of insecticides and larviciding. Clothing, mosquito repellent, and netting can held reduce exposure.