RP cases of Influenza A(H1N1) reach 111

This is the first press conference I have attended in which Health Secretary Francisco Duque III did not say that there was no community transmission yet of the Influenza A(H1N1) virus.
When asked, pointblank, if there is now a community transmission of the virus in the Philippines, Duque they were still investigating. He hoped to know [...]

The first anti-Con Ass rally

“No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression or of the press,or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.” – Article 3, section 4 of the 1987 Constitution.
On June 10, 2009, Filipinos — mostly from Metro Manila; the other provinces had their [...]

RP now has 10 confirmed cases of A(H1N1)

There are now ten confirmed cases of Influenza A(H1N1), according to the health department. Six of the cases attended the wedding in Zambales that was also attended by the Taiwanese woman who later tested positive for the virus.

What can be done to prevent the spread of A(H1N1)?

First, the good news: the number of people dying from A(H1N1) is less than one percent. The not-so-good news is that one third of the deaths were young and healthy people. The bad news? Some cases MIGHT BE asymptomatic: there MIGHT be people who didn’t get sick at all, but who MIGHT have passed on [...]

DOH tracing, monitoring people who had contact with RP’s first A(H1N1) case

Health authorities are now monitoring at least 17 people who had close contacts with the 10-year-old girl who were diagnosed positive for Influenza A(H1N1). These were mainly those who were seated around her in the plane, the health department said, as they defined close contact as “six hours with and within six feet.”
The girl, health [...]

RP has its first case of A(H1N1)

The Philippines now has its first case of A(H1N1), a ten-year-old girl who traveled to the US and Canada with her family. She arrived on May 18 but did not develop symptoms until the following day, on May 19. Throat swabs were taken and tested on May 20 and on May 21, Thursday, they were [...]

Philippine journalist on military’s Order of Battle

Carlos Conde, who writes for the New York Times, just found out that he is on the military’s list of order of battle. He is the only journalist on the list. At least one person on the list has since been killed.
This is not the first time that a reporter has been included in the [...]

They left on Mother’s Day

They left on Mother’s Day – the Philippines’ first batch of caregivers and nurses sent to Japan under the Japan Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA). Most of them were young, and many were women in their 20s and 30s. Some are leaving behind young children, to be taken care of relatives or parents, while the [...]

DOH advisory on the A(H1N1) virus

This is the third advisory from the health department, issued on May 7, 2009, regarding the cases under observation for influenza A(H1N1). There have been 12 recorded cases under observation (CUO) since May 1, but of these 12, eight have tested negative for the new virus. Four are still under observation.

The ARF VDR is on!!!

The Asean Regional Forum’s (ARF) Voluntary Demonstration of Response on Disaster Relief (VDR) began Monday, May 4 with a demonstration of a mock rescue at sea.