First A(H1N1) Related Death In The Philippines

The Philippines confirms its initial A(H1N1) virus related death — 49-year-old woman who died from congestive heart failure but who also tested positive for the A(H1N1) virus.

This is the second recorded death in the Asia-Pacific region related to A(H1N1), following the death of a man in Australia on Friday.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the 49-year old female who is known to have a pre-existing chronic heart disease was also found to be positive for A (H1N1). He said that the patient presented with flu-like symptoms starting on June 17 consisting of dry cough, fever and chills and difficulty of breathing just before death on June 19.

“Given the available information, we cannot conclude that the death is due to A (H1N1). But in other countries which have reported A (H1N1) deaths, majority have pre-existing medical conditions. We condole with the family of the patient as we mourn her untimely death,’ Duque said.

Because of this first reported case of death in a patient with an incidental finding of A (H1N1) in the country, Duque said that the Department of Health will be more aggressive in targeting segments of patients with a high vulnerability to fatal flu complications saying that they should be the ones receiving the most care and attention by healthcare professionals.

“We want to make it clear that high-risk groups, once they have the flu symptoms, should immediately go to their doctor. They should not wait for their symptoms to worsen because they are prone to many infections other than the novel virus such as our seasonal flu strains. These are patients with uncontrolled diabetes, frank cardiovascular disease, COPD, organ transplant recipients, those who are immunocompromised, those with chronic liver and kidney disease, people suffering from other infections like HIV/AIDs and TB, pregnant women and the very young and the elderly,” Duque clarified.

Currently, the DOH is revising the interim guidelines in managing and treating A (H1N1) cases to guarantee that vulnerable populations are prioritised and receive immediately the appropriate modicum of care. This is in accordance with the Pandemic Alert Level 6 declaration of the World Health Organization which recommends to its member states to focus on managing cases, especially severe ones, rather than containment to prevent the spread of the virus.

“We would like to reemphasize that, globally and locally, the overwhelming majority of cases only experience mild symptoms and, eventually, make a rapid and full recovery, often even without any form of medical intervention,” Duque stressed.

“It is prudent for parents to seek professional care for children with rapid breathing, excessive drowsiness or dehydration. In adults, chest pain, prolonged fever or labored breathing should prompt warnings to see a doctor,” Duque reminded the public.

“We need to make sure that our resources are efficiently used and that they will give us the best outcomes by targeting people who are at risk for developing complications,’ Duque said. Meanwhile, Duque advised the public to continue heeding the recommendations of the DOH on proper handwashing, cough etiquette, and other hygiene practices.

“The best defense against A (H1N1) and other diseases is to boost your immune system. Most people can fight off this virus without special medications or hospitalization. You can stay at home and take supportive care like plenty of fluids, vitamins and bed rest,” Duque stressed.

Duque also disclosed that 35 more have fully recovered from the novel virus, thus bringing the total count of those who have fully recovered to 374. This number constitutes 84% of the total confirmed cases reported since May 21.

Duque also said that there are 17 more confirmed cases recorded today. These additional patients bring the total sum of confirmed cases to 445.

The new 17 cases involved 8 males and 9 females. The age range of these cases is 11-58 years old, with 19 as median age. Duque noted that 15 of these cases are Filipinos, while the remaining 2 are foreigners. He added that of 3 of these 17 cases have travelled to a country affected with A (H1N1). On the other hand, as of June 19, the World Health Organization reported 44,287 cases with 180 deaths from 90 reporting countries.

Flu Vaccines Running Out Due To AH1N1 Scare

Officials of Sanofi-Pasteur Inc., a pharmaceutical company based in the Philippines said in an interview with GMA 7 reported that there stock of flu vaccines had been running out. More people a getting flu vaccines believing that it can prevent them from getting the Influenza A(H1N1) virus.

Rio Buquid, a key account specialist of the pharmaceutical firm, told that in comparison of the previous years, the demand for flu vaccinces have increased dramatically. The increase in demand has been attributed to virus scare of Influenza A(H1N1).

Buquid said Sanofi-Pasteur is trying to get affiliates from other sources in providing supplemental stocks of the vaccine to the Philippines. Presently the has the highest number of A(H1N1) cases in Southeast Asia.

Dr. Yolanda Oliveros, director of the Department of Health's National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said she has also received reports of flu vaccine stocks running out.

She said there was nothing wrong with more people wanting to get flu shots, but she cautioned the public against having a "false sense of protection against A(H1N1) because these vaccines do not give that."

Dr. Oliveros told that the vaccines presently available in the market just protect people from regular seasonal flu and not the A(H1N1) virus. However, she said the increased demand for flu vaccines – which does not prevent A(H1N1) infection in the first place – could still help prevent the flu scare from getting worse.

For one, more people getting flu shots would prevent “re-assortment," which happens when the A(H1N1) virus mutates. Buquid explained that when the A(H1N1) virus gets in contact with a person who is already sick with seasonal flu, it could produce yet another new strain.

“The A(H1N1) could still form new hybrids," she further added.

Buquid said the A(H1N1) virus is itself a hybrid that was formed when a regular swine flu virus got mixed with the seasonal flu virus of humans. She quoted experts as saying that the A(H1N1) virus could have originated from a person who was already suffering from the regular human flu.

“Kasi kung wala namang flu ang tao, hindi mare-recognize ng katawan niya ang flu virus na galing sa baboy [The virus could have only mutated in a person already suffering from flu]," Buquid said.

In a way, the increasing demand for flu vaccines has helped the government because the number of people stricken by flu has gone down, Oliveros said.

“The burden on our health system is reduced. Not so many people go to facilities because many are already protected," said Oliveros. With fewer flu patients, the government can maximize its health resources, she added.

As of Friday, the Philippine tally of A(H1N1) cases has remained locked at 344, with 262 patients fully recovered. Some schools have decided to go into a 10-day class suspension, while most have already gone back to their regular calendar.

source: GMANews.TV