Saturday, May 9, 2009

RP remains free of Influenza A/H1N1; WHO praises ASEAN response to new virus

by Lyndon Plantilla

Quezon City (9 May) -- No sign of Influenza A/H1N1 virus.

As of Friday, Health Undersecretary Mario Villaverde said that the country has zero case of Influenza AH1N1 though they have 17 persons under observation.

Thirteen of the cases have tested negative and were discharged.

The remaining persons under observation were quarantined at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Asian Doctors Hospital and in a hospital in Cagayan De Oro.

Meanwhile, World Health Organization (WHO) lauded efforts of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and some neighboring countries to prevent the spread of H1N1.

WHO Western Pacific Regional Director Dr. Shin Young Soo said ASEAN responded well when the virus broke through the American and European continents by activating surveillance systems and creating protocols for care and treatments.

Shin took note of the improved screening measures that Laos and Cambodia have put up.

He made the statement during the ASEAN health ministers’ meeting in Bangkok chaired by Secretary Francisco T. Duque III.

Before he left for Thailand, Duque explained that the meeting intends not just to compare notes among and between countries but to achieve consensus on how the region will deal with H1N1 virus.

No comments: