Sandiganbayan issues order to contain flu spread

MANILA, Philippines - Sandiganbayan Acting Presiding Justice Edilberto Sandoval has issued an order which calls for the implementation of immediate measures that will prevent the spread of A(H1N1) virus among employees and workers of the anti-graft court.

Sandoval issued the directive late last week after a female employee tested positive for the virus and was sent home along with some of her co-workers for self-quarantine purposes.

“In view of the information from the medical section that one of our court employees from the 5th Division has a confirmed case of Influenza A(H1N1) virus, the following control measures for exposed co-employees are hereby strictly ordered to be adopted in order to prevent the further spread to other employees of the court,” read Sandoval’s Administrative Order No. 112-2009.

The directive noted that exposed employees should inform their co-employees of their contact with employees known to be infected with the A(H1N1) virus.

Exposed employees are told to remain in their respective offices during office hours and monitor themselves daily for any occurrence of fever or any other flu like symptoms then notify their immediate supervisor and clinic, then stay at home for seven days.

The infected female employee reported for work after seven days of quarantine inside the hospital but the Sandiganbayan decided to allow her to stay home for several more days.

Despite the incident, work at the anti-graft court is not being suspended, particularly the 5th Division which is handling some very important cases including that of the Marcos wealth.

‘Avoid self-medication’

Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday urged the public to avoid self-medication to prevent the possible spread of drug-resistant influenza in the country.

Dr. Yolanda Oliveros, DOH-National Center for Disease Prevention and Control director, issued the call amid reports of the existence of drug resistant flu in other countries.

Oliveros said those with influenza-like illnesses must have themselves checked by doctors or health workers first before taking Tamiflu capsules.

“They can have Tamiflu (or Oseltamivir) but not without the proper prescription. Otherwise, drug resistant infection may develop, which we do not want to happen,” Oliveros said.

There were H1N1 cases that showed resistance to Tamiflu in Denmark, Japan and Hong Kong, raising fears that the anti-viral medicine might not be effective in preventing illness.

Oliveros, however, explained that having recorded cases of drug resistance in other countries does not automatically mean that it will happen in the Philippines.

“It cannot necessarily be concluded that it will happen here. Each country is monitoring the resistance of the virus to Oseltamivir. And the resistance may vary,” Oliveros pointed out.

She also stressed that the country has sufficient supply of Oseltamivir.

“We still have about one million Tamiflu in the stockpile plus we are still expecting some 500,000 capsules to arrive from a donation,” Oliveros disclosed.

She said the recent shifting to mitigation strategy would also help the country in ensuring that there is enough supply of the capsules.

The mitigation strategy only provides medication to those considered as “high-risk” group such as pregnant women and those with pre-existing conditions. 

Lawmakers fear spread of flu in Mindanao

Meanwhile, Cotabato Rep. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza urged health authorities to look after displaced families now living in evacuation centers in Mindanao, saying they are “extremely susceptible” to influenza A(H1N1).

“Compared to the general population, people in evacuation camps, particularly the elderly, pregnant women, and children, face exceedingly higher risk of infection due to poor sanitation and deficient nutrition,” she said.

She appealed to donors for extra food aid as well as protective and sanitation materials, including facemasks, rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizers, and soap for distribution to shelters.

The vulnerability of refugees is being aggravated by the short supply of food and water in shelters, she added.

“Conditions in shelters are depressing. Food is rationed. Families do not get to eat enough,” she lamented.

Taliño-Mendoza pointed out that there were instances when the day’s food supply was delayed, or not delivered at all because of persistent armed harassment by lawless elements, or security threats to relief workers conveying the provisions.

She also said water both for drinking and washing of hands was scarce in shelters.

As of last Friday, the Philippines ranked eighth worldwide in terms of “laboratory-confirmed cases” of influenza A(H1N1), according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The DOH last reported a total of 1,709 H1N1 cases nationwide, including one death.

The Philippines had the largest number of “conflict-induced” newly internally displaced people in 2008, according to the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC).

The IDMC said that last year, some 600,000 people fled fighting between the Philippine military and rebel groups in Mindanao. They accounted for 13 percent of the 4.6 million newly internally displaced people around the world in 2008.

The IDMC is a unit of the Oslo-based Norwegian Refugee Council, an independent, humanitarian non-governmental organization providing aid, protection and durable solutions to refugees and internally displaced persons worldwide. – With Mayen Jaymalin, Jess Diaz