As first domestic cluster of infection reported in N. Ecija

Cases of swine flu in RP breaches 200 mark

06/16/2009

The number of cases of swine flu-infected persons in the country may have broken the 200 mark as health authorities in Luzon yesterday reported the Philippines’ first cluster of domestic infection of the virus, that of some 100 persons, including a group of primary school students, in a remote village in Nueva Ecija province.

Eric Tayag, chief of the National Epidemiology Center, said the “community level outbreak” was declared Sunday after 11 children in the village of Hilera in Jaen town, Nueva Ecija were confirmed to have contracted the influenza A(H1N1) virus.

“We have declared a community outbreak,” in the area, Tayag said in a radio interview yesterday. “We are carrying out mitigation efforts.” The school will remain shut for the next 10 days, officials said.

It was not clear how the students in the isolated community of 1,600 persons were infected, but officials said over 90 others who were in contact with the children have also shown flu-like symptoms.

Those 101 cases have added up to the previous count of 147 others having been confirmed to have contracted swine flu in the country, health authorities said, but there has yet to be no deaths so far.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the case of community infection of A(H1N1) in Nueva Ecija was reported by the local government.

“We are reviewing our system and now we will be enumerating the procedures on what the local government and the DoH (Department of Health) will undertake, vis-a-vis, on the community outbreak,” he said.

Duque said the number of confirmed cases of A(H1N1) “could only be the tip of the iceberg” as many others may have already contracted the virus.

At the same time, while taking the advice of the World Health Organization (WHO) on mitigating the spread of A(H1N1) virus, the government said it will be administering the drug Tamiflu only to patients who are prone to complications such as those with diabetes, a heart condition, a kidney ailment, HIV positive, having low immunity level and women who are pregnant, among others.

Duque said the DoH had to adopt this policy as the local stocks of Tamiflu, which is used to treat A(H1N1) patients at the early stage, is relatively low, numbering just about 600,000 capsules.

“We cannot tell on when the fatality will occur. We want all (patients) to recover but with the high risk groups, we want to know what this A(H1N1) will bring to these complicated cases. Having said this, we are putting in place the following levels for mitigation approach: Level 1, for situations with few sporadic cases, and Level 2, when we establish (a case of) community widespread transmission.

“In Level 3, we have formulated that less than 5 percent and more than 5 percent of the population having contracted this flu virus will be declared an epidemic” and more critical measures will be undertaken.

Duque stressed that the A(H1N1) virus strain in the country is mild in nature as the patients were able to recover even before they were administered the necessary treatment.

The DoH said as of yesterday, 71 A(H1N1) patients have already been sent home after recovering from the flu.

In Mindanao, there has yet to be a reported case of A(H1N1).

With the opening of classes in colleges and universities yesterday, Duque said the DoH met with school officials and other concerned agencies on reviewing existing policies, in particular, the response measures which the schools have partly adopted for the opening of classes.

Also yesterday, the Department of Education (DepEd) confirmed reports that another public school in Bulacan province was forced to suspend classes after some 49 of its students were suspected to have been infected with the A(H1N1) virus.

Keneth Tirado, communication unit chief of the DepEd, said the suspension of classes in Doña Candelaria Meneses Duque High School in Bulacan, will last for 10 days.

Tirado said it was yet to be confirmed if the 49 students were indeed afflicted with the A(H1N1) virus, but as a precautionary measure, classes have been ordered suspended in the school for 10 days, beginning last Thursday.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus reiterated his appeal to the general public not to panic, especially parents of students of schools where there are reported cases of A(H1N1). Riza Recio, Jason Faustino and AFP

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