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Showing posts with label Virus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virus. Show all posts

Monday, August 23, 2010

Number of Dengue infections on the rise in the Philippines


Dengue is one the things that Filipinos dread especially when the rainy season starts. Last year the number of people who were infected with Dengue is higher compared to previous years. The media was  more focus on the new strain of swine flu virus or AH1N1 while Health officials were finding a ways to stop AH1N1 spreading further. But Dengue has claimed more lives than the swine flu.

Laguna health officers has not declared an dengue outbreak in the province but deeply concerned with the rapid rise of number of people infected with the mosquito-borne diseases. There are a total of 1055 cases of dengue infection as of August 21, 2010. Health officer Dr. Alsaneo Lagos said that the situation in Laguna is not yet an outbreak since the cases were not concentrated in a single area.

Eight fatalities were reported in the last three weeks. The casualties were from two cities: Calamba and Binan and from 4 towns: Cavinti, Sta. Cruz, Pagsanjan and Majayjay. The Laguna provincial government has already started prevented measures such as mist spraying in waterways, distribution of mosquito nets and mosquito repellent in towns being monitored with dengue cases.

In Albay, a dengue task force was created to prevent an outbreak.  645 cases of dengue infections were recorded during the first seven months of the year. The province has adopted a color coding system to classify the severity of the dengue infection. Red is for areas with an outbreak, Code Yellow is for hot spots while green are for those areas with an alarming increase in number of dengue cases. So far there are no outbreak in Albay. Washington drive, Legazpi City and Barangay 16 are under code yellow while Barangays Arimbay, Buragwus, Sagpon and San Roque in Legazpi City, Barangay Sagpon in Daraga and Barangay in Tiwi are areas with increasing number of dengue cases.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Are we ready for the Swine Flu?

The swine Flu pandemic has caused panic in the Philippines last year. Since the new virus has only emerged last year, Health organizations around the world were caught unprepared for the outbreak. I personally was paranoid if someone near me sneezed or coughed. And of course everybody was frequently pouring alcohol to sanitize their hands. Thermometers were deployed in most establishments and everybody had to submit to having their body temperature checked. It was around May last year that the Swine Flu struck the Philippines and lasted until June. Several schools suspended their classes in fear of the virus spreading among their students.

More than a year after the swine flu has spread from Mexico, Health Governments are now more prepare as the vaccine for the swine flu virus are now available. Back then it was a race against time to make a cure for the swine that has claimed the lives of 11516 deaths worldwide.

The workplace offers Flu vaccine every year. This year, the vaccine that they are offering is called Vaxigrip which is supposedly a vaccine to fight off the Flu and the Pandemic A H1N1 strain. It may cost more than a regular flu vaccine but it is better to be safe than sorry.


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Monday, February 22, 2010

New Bird Flu Fatality recorded in Indonesia

Indonesia has the highest recorded cases of Bird Flu infections. A total of 163 people were confirmed to be infected with the deadly virus in Indonesia.  Last year, nineteen out of the twenty confirmed cases of Bird Flu infections in Indonesia were fatal.

On Jan 25, a 25 –year-old woman died of Bird Flu in the West Java town of Bekasi. She is suspected to have direct contact with Poultry. According to the Ministry of Health, a 3-year-old Jakarta boy was confirmed to have a H5N1 Bird Flu Virus. The boy has already recovered.

Bird Flu has taken the lives of at least 283 people worldwide since the virus has infected poultry stocks since 2003. Indonesia has a total of 135 deaths due to Bird Flu

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Bird Flu calling numbers in the Philippines

Bird Flu information hotline
DOH Bird Flu Hotlines:  Call 155 for SMART cellphone users
DOH BF Text Messaging: Type BF then send to 2960
Email Address: birdflu@doh.gov.ph

DA Bird Flu Hotline: 9293050 / 9298186 / 9201849 / 9263833
DA BF Text Messaging: Type CITOmessage then send to 2920 (both Smart/Globe)

*** Source Philippine Department of Health


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Bird Flu or Avian Influenza

The Bird Flu or Avian influenza that has taken 283 lives worldwide. While some bird flu infections are harmless to humans, the Bird flu is caused by influenza A or H5N1 and has caused illness to humans.  After exposure to bird flu infected chicken, a human may develop fever, body weakness or muscle pain, cough, sore throat, difficulty in breathing is severe cases and sore eyes.
Bird Flu is transmitted in Chickens and other birds though direct contact with discharges from infected birds, especially feces and respiratory secretions. They may also be transferred through contaminated feeds, water, cages, equipment, clothing and broken contaminated eggs.
The virus is transferred to humans by inhalation or contamination with infected discharges or feces of sick chicken. The treatment is for Bird flu is the same with the treatment use for other influenza viruses.
Signs and symptoms of Bird Flu in Chicken
1.        Swelling of legs
2.        Ruffled feathers
3.        Sneezing, cough, nasal discharge, fever, weakness, loss of appetite
4.        Death

Simple steps in preventing the Avian Flu
-           Cook chicken thoroughly
-           Do not sell live Chickens and other birds in the market while there is a threat of Bird Flu
-           Do not let chicken roam freely. Keep them in cages or pens
-           Do not place chicken, ducks and pigs together in one area, cage or pen
-           Do not catch, get near of keep in captivity wild birds
-           Report to the nearest agricultural/veterinary office any unusual death or illness of chickens and other birds
-           Report to the nearest local health centers any case of respiratory illness with history of exposure to sick or dead chickens and other birds
*** Source Philippine Department of Health


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Vietnam fears Bird Flu Outbreak

On January 15, an outbreak began in Ha Tinh while 5 other provinces in Vietnam have recorded cases of the virus. More 14,000 chickens and ducks were slaughtered as a counter measure to prevent the further dissemination the Bird Flu. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has decided to conduct such actions after 3600 chicken and ducks were found contaminated

Poultry is one of the favorite dishes serve during the Tet or the Vietnamese New year. The government fears that the center of the country as well as the southern Mekong Delta is at risk of transmission of the Virus since more animals would be slaughtered and transported during the feast. 

Vietnam is second to Indonesia with the highest total number of deaths due to Avian Influenza or Bird Flu. The total number of death in Vietnam has reached 57. The last Bird Flu fatality was on December 2009. A total of 5 people lost their lives last year in Vietnam.


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Friday, September 11, 2009

Swine Flu

Swine Flu A new strain of swine influenza A (H1n1) has emerged. While most influenza virus does not affect humans, this new strain does. According to researchers, this new type of flu is a combination of bird, pig and human virus. World health official said that Mexico may be the epicenter of a global epidemic. Mexico’s health minister has reported that there were a total of 86 deaths and 1400 people are infected since Apr 13, 2009. So far, fatal victims were between the ages of 20 to 40 years old. Flu victims are usually either infants or the elderly. In 1918 during the Spanish influenza, the first victims reported were healthy young adults. Children appear to be immune this swine virus. The reason for the children’s immunity is still unknown. Symptoms of this new swine flu are respiratory congestion, body aches, sore throat, coughing, fever of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) and vomiting and diarrhea in some cases. Several countries have also reported cases of swine flu. In the United States, several cases were reported in California, Texas, Ohio and Kansas. Several suspected cases were also noted in New York. No fatalities were reported so far. Canada was the third country to confirm human cases of swine flu. East coast Canadian provinces have four confirmed cases of mild swine flu among students between 12 to 17 years old. They are now recovering. Several countries are taking steps to monitor passenger coming from Mexico. In Japan’s Narita airport, device that measures the passenger’s temperature has been installed in the arrival gate. In New Zealand, students coming from Mexico has tested positive with influenza. Authorities have yet to determine whether the influenza is indeed the Swine Flu. Since this is a new strain swine flu, vaccines that fight off this strain specifically are still unavailable. It is still uncertain whether the current human flu vaccines could offer any type protection.

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