The Philippines now has 14 confirmed cases of influenza A(H1N1) and 27 new suspected cases, but health authorities said Friday there is still no cause for alarm even as they expect the number of cases to rise in the days ahead. In a press conference, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed four new H1N1 cases in addition to the 10 cases reported on Thursday. He said the latest confirmed infected people – all of whom are Filipinos – have been administered with oseltamivir, an anti-viral drug commonly used to treat flu infections. But Duque said the 14 swine flu patients have “mild symptoms” only, adding that the patients, who are confined in designated health institutions, are responding well to treatment. He said the patients were hit by “mild and self-limiting H1N1.” He said the Philippines has no severe H1N1 case and none of the patients has died. He said health experts expect H1N1 cases to rise in the Philippines just like in other countries but that there should be no cause for alarm since the cases in the country are only a “mild form of influenza.” He said the rapid increase in the number of swine flu cases worldwide is due to the “ease of transmission” and the “unrestricted flow of travelers.” At present, Duque said, the DOH is managing the disease as part of its “regular disease control program” since world health authorities still have to present evidence of mutation or proof that the virus is virulent. In an attempt to quell public fear of the global outbreak, Duque said the public should actually dread the dengue virus more than the A(H1N1) virus. He said the dengue virus has claimed 57 lives in the Philippines in the first four months of 2009. The A(H1N1) has a less than one percent “case fatality rate.” Despite the rate of cases confirmation – 14 in the span of eight days - the DOH said the opening of classes will go on as scheduled - June 1 for elementary and high school and June 8 for college level. Duque said there has been no “sustained community transmission” yet of the virus in the Philippines to consider moving the opening of classes to a later date. However, Duque said pregnant women, young children, people with asthma, hypertension, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, morbid obesity, and immune-related illnesses are more prone to catching the disease. At the House of Representatives the proposal to postpone the opening of classes scheduled on Monday has snowballed. Congressman Jose Antonio Roxas added a new voice to the proposal for DOH officials to move the class opening, unless it can guarantee that students and school personnel will not contract the disease. Roxas, a doctor, said schoolchildren attending classes are vulnerable to the disease. Rep. Marcelino R. Teodoro said he favors postponing the June 1 classes so that the DOH could take apporpriate measure to protect school children from the swine flu virus. “Appropriate measures must be taken to evade further exacerbation of the situation,” said Teodoro, chairman of the House Committee on People Participation. Rep. Luzviminda C. Ilagan said if the cases became uncontrollable, the scheduled start of classes should be moved. “Better safe than sorry,” she said. Rep. Datu Pax S. Mangudadatu called on the Department of Education (DepEd), Local Government Units (LGUs) and the Department of Health (DOH) to join forces and agree on specific plans to come up with measures to prevent an outbreak. “These agencies should draw specific plans and coordinate among themselves to preclude the spread of the killer disease,” said Mangudadatu, teh chairman of the House Committee on Mindanao Affairs. - SG/PNS On Monday, Sen. Edgardo Angara called for pospponment of the school opening until the DOH has put up plans to protect the schoolchilren. .
