DOH - Update as of June 2, 2009 / DUQUE GOES TO SCHOOL

DUQUE GOES TO SCHOOL AND TEACHES KIDS WAYS TO AVOID A (H1N1) AND W.I.L.D. DISEASES; NO NEW A (H1N1) CASES TODAY
Press Release / 2 June 2009  

Health Secretary Duque today visited public elementary schools to teach schoolchildren how to wash their hands properly and to inspect the sanitation facilities of said schools.

“We are doing these visits to make sure that our children know how to keep themselves from contracting the A (H1N1). It’s easy. Just like what we have been saying: hand washing while singing the happy birthday song twice will scare this flu away,” Duque said.

Duque visited the Andres Bonifacio Elementary School and the Dr. Alejandro Albert Elementary School in Manila this morning to give a pep talk to schoolchildren and demonstrate the proper way of washing their hands and the right etiquette when sneezing and coughing.

Duque also reiterated to school teachers and others in the teaching staff to be always cautious against H1N1 and to religiously implement the preventive measures advocated by the Department of Health (DOH) in the guidelines it issued for restraining its spread in schools.

Based on the guidelines, Duque said that the suspension of classes within a school can be announced by the school administrators concerned if there is really one or more A (H1N1) confirmed case and added that at Level 4, where there is already community transmission, the DepEd, CHED and TESDA officials can announce closure of one or more schools in the affected areas.

Meanwhile, Duque also cautioned school officials to be vigilant against the so-called WILD diseases during the rainy season. These diseases include Water-borne diseases, Influenza, Leptospirosis and Dengue, all of which cause more deaths and diseases than A (H1N1).

“WILD diseases have been around longer than A (H1N1) and affects young children particularly during this time of year. Actually, proper hand washing and good respiratory manner will protect our children not only from H1N1 but also for most of these diseases,” Duque stressed.

Duque said that the DOH is set to launch its nationwide campaign against dengue tomorrow in anticipation of the increasing number of cases from June until the end of the year.

This campaign advocates the Four-S strategy against dengue: Search and destroy mosquito breeding sites, Self-protection, Seek early consultation and Saying Yes to fogging only during outbreaks.  

On the other hand, Duque today disclosed that no new confirmed case of A (H1N1) has been reported in the past 24 hours.

“The five confirmed cases reported yesterday are still in health facilities awaiting discharge. The five cases are mild in nature and are responding positively to the treatments given them,” Duque said, adding that eleven cases have been discharged as of today.

Since May 1, 2009, the DOH has monitored a total of 345 CUOs (cases under observation). Of these, 21 are positive A (H1N1) cases, 32 have pending laboratory results, and 292 were negative and have been discarded. There are 20 new COUs as of today.    

In the latest report from the World Health Organization (WHO), it reported 1,900 new cases and 16 deaths. The new deaths were from Mexico and the USA. There are now a total of 17,410 cases and 115 deaths from 62 reporting countries. New countries who have confirmed H1N1 cases are the Bahamas, Bolivia, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Jamaica, Paraguay, Venezuela and Vietnam.