DOH: 33 new H1N1 cases raise total to 344

MANILA, Philippines - The total number of Influenza A(H1N1) cases soared to 344 yesterday after 33 more individuals were confirmed by the Department of Health (DOH) to have been infected.

Dr. Lyndon Leesuy, a medical specialist at the DOH’s National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said two of the 33 patients were foreigners. The youngest patient was aged one while the oldest was 52 years old.

“All of the cases are mild in nature. Of the 344 cases, a total of 242 have recovered and were sent home,” he noted in an interview.

The DOH confirmed that there were three cases at Miriam College and an unspecified number of cases in Lagro Elementary School, both in Quezon City.

A public school in Laguna and a private school in Mandaluyong suspended classes due to the virus.

Kenneth Tirado, DepEd Communications Unit head, said that all the cases have already been brought to the attention of the DOH.

Dr. Teresita Domalanta, DepEd National Capital Region director, confirmed that the Lourdes School in Mandaluyong had also suspended classes until June 29.

Because of these developments, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the DOH is set to change protocols in suspending classes next week as a way of adapting to changing situation caused by the virus.

Currently, the DOH and the Department of Education (DepEd) implement the no-confirmed-positive-case, no-class-suspension policy on schools.

However, classes were suspended at Donya Candelaria Meneses Duque Memorial High School and at St. Mary’s Academy in Hagonoy, Bulacan last week when a number of students showed symptoms of Influenza A(H1N1).

Duque said changing protocols in the suspension of classes might revise the response level issued by DepEd last June 1.

He said they are closely coordinating with DepEd and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

He also stressed that if classes at a certain school are suspended due to a confirmed case, it will not be suspended again when another case is monitored.

Leesuy announced that the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu and the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City would soon be tapped to conduct laboratory tests on suspected and confirmed cases of A(H1N1). 

All of these hospitals are under the DOH.

This is intended to lighten the load of the DOH-run Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), which had been solely testing patients since the Philippines recorded its first case on May 21.

“The DOH has been assessing the capabilities of these hospitals. We have to make sure that they can do it right, some sort of quality control. To be sure that they can come up with accurate lab results,” he added.

At present, only the RITM performs the tests although other hospitals can collect the throat swab samples from suspected and confirmed cases.

Leesuy said there are private hospitals that have already offered to help examine specimens but the DOH wants to make sure that they are really competent to do so.

The department is also preparing an Administrative Order directing secondary and tertiary private and public hospitals to admit cases.

“But we also want to see if they are prepared – if they have isolation rooms and if their staff are trained to handle the patients. We also have to evaluate them,” he added.

Pinoy carriers

Macau reported its first case courtesy of a Filipino who visited the southern Chinese city.

The 27-year-old Filipino was stopped at the former Portuguese colony’s airport with a fever on Wednesday and taken to hospital without entering the city proper, government spokeswoman Elena Au said.

He tested positive for the A(H1N1) virus on Thursday, but was in stable condition, Au said.

Macau, about an hour away from Hong Kong by ferry, is best known as China’s prime gaming destination, and is the only place in the country that allows casino gambling.

Hong Kong has confirmed 172 cases of human swine flu, and last week ordered all the city’s primary schools to shut in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus.

Two Filipinos are currently under medical isolation in Hong Kong after health authorities confirmed and classified them as imported A(H1N1) case, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Consul General Claro Cristobal of the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong reported the new cases of Filipinos infected.

Cristobal said the consulate has assigned a consular officer to monitor their health and provide necessary assistance to the two patients.

The consulate reiterated its earlier call for Filipinos working or intending to travel to Hong Kong to exercise the highest vigilance against the virus.

Four Filipino nationals were among the guests at the Metropark Hotel in Wanchai last month who were covered by the seven-day quarantine imposed by Hong Kong health authorities.

Hong Kong’s Department of Health imposed, as a temporary emergency measure, a seven-day quarantine on the first reported case of swine flu at Metropark Hotel last May 1.

The patient was a Mexican male who checked in at the hotel but was later brought to the Ruttonjee Hospital after experiencing cough, sore throat and other flu-like symptoms.

Among those covered were a Filipina, her Australian husband and their son, and another Filipina from Cebu.

Another Filipina from a third country who also stayed at the hotel was included. They were all temporary visitors in Hong Kong.

Another Pinay case in Saudi

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday instructed the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah to look into a report that another Filipina nurse working in a Saudi government hospital was infected with the virus.

The DFA issued the order based on reports that the Saudi Cabinet has announced the second case of a Filipina nurse and two other children.

With these new cases, Saudi Arabia has reported that there are already 14 people infected in two weeks.

The DFA also ordered the Philippine consulate in Jeddah to monitor the health of the Filipina.

The Council of Ministers chaired by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in Jeddah, heard the report of Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah about the three new cases in Riyadh, Dhahran and Madinah, according to reports.

Saudi officials called for greater international coordination and cooperation to combat the A(H1N1) flu pandemic in preparation for the Haj and Umrah (Ramadan rites) in August.

Dr. Abdullah told the Cabinet that the new case is a Filipina nurse who arrived at the King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh last June 10 by Cathay Pacific flight 330200 from the Philippines via Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia is strictly enforcing the World Health Organization (WHO) rules on the prevention of A(H1N1) in anticipation of an outbreak at the holy sites during Ramadan.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health said Saudi health authorities might take precautionary measures in coordination with the WHO.

The DFA said in its update that the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah reported that the Saudi government has stepped up monitoring and health requirements as part of prevention efforts against A(H1N1).

The consulate said a comprehensive information campaign about the virus was launched.

The massive awareness campaign emphasized basic precautions that people should follow to avoid infection.

Saudi Arabia also closely keeps tab on flights from countries hit by the disease.

The embassy has advised Filipino nationals in the Kingdom and in Yemen on the prevention of infection and transfer of the virus.

The Filipino community was also requested by the embassy to inform them of any cases involving Filipino nationals. – Dino Balabo, Pia Lee-Brago, Rainier Allan Ronda