DOH Eastern Visayas detects 9,086 TB cases in 2015

TACLOBAN CITY, Jan. 18 (PNA) – The Department of Health (DOH) has initially monitored 9,086 cases of tuberculosis (TB) in Eastern Visayas last year, prompting the government to step up efforts to combat the spread of this infectious disease killer.

As of third quarter of 2015, the region’s new and recurring cases have remarkably increased compared to the 7,201 cases in the entire 2014.

Ma. Teresa Caidic, DOH regional TB medical coordinator said prevalence of cases have remained high in the past years due to relapse cases, emergence of multi-drug resistant TB, and more people have been seeking medical help.

Relapse TB cases are contracted by victims who failed to complete the six-month medication. As of third quarter of 2015, there are 530 similar cases in the region, higher than the 350 recorded a year ago.

The disease is still the sixth cause of death in the region, but the DOH regional office has yet to consolidate reports on confirmed TB mortalities.

According to Caidic, there are TB patients who have died due to road accidents, and other diseases while undergoing treatment.

During the first 10 months of last year, there were 7,201 TB patients under treatment with 6,578 were successfully cured.

Caidic reminded the public to seek medical help from rural health units and government-owned health facilities instead of private hospitals. The entire cost of medication for six months is shouldered by the DOH.

“Some patients go to private practitioners, which is expensive. Some of these doctors don’t inform patients that there is free medication. A patient has to spend Php5,000 to Php6,000 for anti-TB drugs alone,” Caidic said.

Those financially constrained, stop medication especially if they notice that their health condition has been improving. Others also return to smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages. This contributes to recurrent cases, according to Caidic.

The national government is spending Php15 million for TB program in Eastern Visayas this year.

Private hospitals are encouraged to set up TB Directly-Observed Treatment Shortcourse (DOTS) centers to concentrate on TB treatment. Caidic said the government is committed to provide drug supplies to all public and privately-run TB DOTS center.

The region has 143 existing TB DOTS centers, mostly government hospitals and rural health units with trained TB core team.

Treatment failure also contributes to emergence of multi-drug resistant TB, which requires 18 months to two years medication under confinement.

Currently, only the schistosomiasis hospital in Palo, Leyte treats multi-drug resistant TB. All expenses are now shouldered by a non-government organization.

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobeacterium tuberculosis that is mainly acquired by inhalation of infectious droplets containing viable tubercle bacilli.

Infectious droplets can be produced by coughing, sneezing, talking and singing. Coughing is generally considered as the most efficient way of producing infectious droplets.

TB is contagious with one person able to infect 15 others if they do not receive the correct treatment.

Through the National TB Program (NTP), the country achieved the global targets of 70 percent case detection for new smear positive TB cases and 89 percent of these became successfully treated.

The program aims to reduce local variations in TB control program performance, scale-up and sustain coverage of DOTS implementation, ensure provision of quality TB services, and reduce out-of-pocket expenses related to TB care. (PNA)
FPV/SARWELL Q. MENIANO

Eastern Visayas’ firecracker-related injuries climb to 79

TACLOBAN CITY, Jan. 2 (PNA) - Holiday revelries have injured at least 79 persons in Eastern Visayas as of Saturday, slightly higher than last year which made the anti-firecracker drive successful, according to the Department of Health (DOH)

Roderick Boyd Cerro, chief of the DOH regional epidemiology and surveillance unit, said all cases are minor blasts and there was no single victim of stray bullet.

Majority or 80 percent of cases were injured due to "piccolo" ignited by children below 11 years old.

“We still consider the 'Iwas Paputok' campaign successful since injuries this year were less serious than in the previous years,” he said.

Of the 79 injuries, 37 were reported in Northern Samar, 24 in Eastern Samar, 12 in Leyte, five in Samar, and one in Leyte.

The government has launched its monitoring of Christmas and New Year revelries on December 16, 2014 and will conclude on January 5, 2015. (PNA)
JBP/SARWELL Q. MENIANO

Catbalogan City cites setbacks to achieve zero firecracker-related injuries

CATBALOGAN CITY, Dec. 26 (PNA) - The city government here has cited challenges in achieving zero firecracker-related injuries highly recommended by the Department of Health (DOH).

City Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan said using firecrackers during Christmas and New Year festivities has become part of the country’s tradition.

“For the safety of the public we want to achieve zero-firecracker related injuries. The question now is how we can gradually ban this,” said Mayor Uy-Tan.

Although the city government always designate common firecracker areas, the local government has no capability to fully regulate firecrackers use.

Catbalogan allows selling firecrackers, but vendors must first comply all the requirements, including undergoing seminar for those who are planning to sell.

The mayor asked for the people in her city to avoid using illegal firecrackers and enjoy the happy and safe celebration with their families and love ones.

A week before Christmas, DOH Secretary Janette Garin announced the plan of her agency to give incentives to local government units with no firecracker related injuries this holiday season. (PNA)
RMA/SQM/ROEL T. AMAZONA/EGR

Gov’t pours Php320.6M for health facility upgrade in Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 24 (PNA) – The Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will embark on a Php320.6-million Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP), which seeks to build and upgrade barangay (village) health stations, rural health units, and local government hospitals in Eastern Visayas.

DOH Regional Director Minerva Molon said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) recently released the 2015 appropriations, which will be fully implemented next year.

“It took a while for the national government to disburse the budget since the secretaries of DPWH, DOH and DBM have to agree on some policies,” Molon explained.

“On our part, we also have to conduct assessment to ensure that there would be no duplication of assistance from the government and non-government organizations.”

The Php320.6 million is on top of the multi-million outlay for HFEP that will be constructed by the health department. The two government agencies agreed that projects worth Php1 million and above will be handled by DPWH.

The DOH official has no available data on DOH-implemented HFEP projects during the interview, but according to her, majority of the projects are under the watch of DPWH.

“Our district engineers have been coordinating with the DOH and local government units regarding the conduct of site visitation to check the actual buildable space for the preparation of detailed plans,” said DPWH Regional Director Rolando M. Asis.

Of the Php320.6 million, Php13.9 million are intended for 13 village health stations, Php62.9 million for 24 rural health units, and Php243.8 million for 13 hospitals managed by local government units.

Broken down to provinces, Northern Samar got the highest HFEP allocation at Php105.5 million, followed by Southern Leyte (Php67 million), Leyte (Php61.7 million), Eastern Samar (Php36.2 million), Samar (Php26.2 million), and Biliran (Php24 million).

Nationwide, the budget department has released Php3.3 billion for 2015 HFEP under the DOH-DPWH partnership. (PNA)
LAP/Sarwell Q. Meniano

DOH reports 68 new HIV/AIDS cases in E. Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 16 (PNA) -- The Department of Health (DOH) regional office has recorded 68 new cases of Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) infection in eastern Visayas.

This figure is higher to the reported 54 HIV/AIDS transmittal, according to Roderick Boyd Cerro, chief of the DOH regional epidemiology and surveillance unit.

Of the 68 new HIV/AIDS victims 64 of them are male. Since 1984, eastern Visayas recorded more 2,000 cases of this sexually-transmitted infection.

Common means of transmittal is through male to male sexual intercourse. Cerro, however, clarified that they cannot classify if those infected with HIV/AIDS are sex workers or not.

The new reported cases prompted the DOH to establish satellite treatment hub in every province to ensure that those with infection will have access to the anti-retroviral drugs.

“Anti-retroviral drugs are given free to those positive of HIV/AIDS. They do not need special hospital to manage them. They can go to any hospital if they show any manifestation of the disease,” Cerro said.

He added that people should be aware that HIV/AIDS can only be transmitted through sexual intercourse with person infected with HIV, breastfeeding of mother with HIV, use of needle that was used by infected person, and blood transfusion.

Cerro encouraged those who have multiple sex partners to undergo HIV, test which could be done in hospitals throughout the region.

Result of the test will remain confidential and only a worker involved in the test is knowledgeable on the result. (PNA)
JMC/SQM/ROEL T. AMAZONA

DOH provides health apparatus to Leyte villages

TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 16 (PNA) -- Majority of the 1,503 villages in Leyte have received glucometer kits and blood pressure (BP) apparatus or sphygmomanometer from the Department of Health (DOH), a local official said.

Leyte Vice Governor Carlo P. Loreto, brother of DOH Secretary Janette L. Garin, said that about 1,000 BP apparatus and 2,000 glucometer kits were provided to village health workers in the province.

These apparatus, according to Loreto, have been provided to villages so that the people would immediately proceed to their health station when they need the services to save time, efforts and fare.

“People from far flung areas need not go to the town centers to avail these services since they can avail it in nearby village health stations,” he added.

On Dec. 10, officials held a ceremonial turn-over of glucometer kits and BP apparatus for Tacloban City and Ormoc City.

The initiative also covered several rural health units and village health stations in Biliran and Southern Leyte province.

The distribution, according to Loreto, is a way of bringing the government closer to people.

The glucometer kit distributed to the villages has 500 strips at PHP800 per 25 strips. The medical device is being used to determine the approximate concentration of glucose in the blood. (PNA)
FFC/SQM/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA

Dengue cases falls 73% in Eastern Visayas

By Sarwell Q. Meniano

TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 5 (PNA) – Dengue cases in Eastern Visayas went down by 73 percent this year after two years of big spurt in case of mosquito-borne disease, the Department of Health (DOH) regional office here reported.

As of end of November, the DOH regional epidemiology and surveillance unit (RESU) recorded 1,407 cases with six deaths, significantly lower than the 5,139 cases with 21 deaths last year.

The six deaths between January 1 to November 28 were recorded in this city, Laoang in Nothern Samar, Dolores in Eastern Samar, Palo in Leyte, and Catarman in Northern Samar.

“This cycle is expected because in 2013 and 2014, dengue cases in the region were very high. Usually, it goes down every after two to three years,” said DOH-RESU chief Roderick Boyd Cerro.

Most of the cases were from Leyte province, comprising 39 percent of all those inflicted by the mosquito-borne disease. Ages of victims ranged from two months to 82 years old.

The health department is closely monitoring possible dengue outbreak in urban areas where poor waste disposal contributes to high mosquito population.

“After super typhoon Yolanda, we organize dengue brigades to assist us in monitoring and information campaign,” he told PNA.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that dengue is spread through the bite of the female mosquito (Aedes aegypti). The mosquito becomes infected when it takes the blood of a person infected with the virus.

After about one week, the mosquito can then transmit the virus while biting a healthy person. The mosquito can fly up to 400 meters looking for water-filled containers to lay their eggs, but usually remains close to the human habitation, according to the WHO.

Dengue-infected persons suffer a high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting and swollen glands or rash. (PNA)
RMA/Sarwell Q. Meniano

DOH Eastern Visayas revives campaign vs. firecrackers use

PALO, Leyte, Dec. 4 (PNA) – The Department of Health (DOH) in Eastern Visayas is stepping up its campaign to prevent firecracker related injuries during Christmas and New Year revelries.

DOH Regional Director Minerva P. Molon said they are bringing the “Aksyon: Paputok Injury Reduction” campaign to schools since most victims are school children.

“We will advocate in schools that children won’t buy firecrackers. It’s easy to educate children through classes,” Molon told reporters.

From December 2014 to early January 2015, the region recorded 70 firecracker-related injuries with most victims are children.

Although the campaign is to bring down the number of cases to zero, the DOH regional office is also beefing up their preparations to treat victims.

At least 50,000 anti-tetanus and antibiotics have been preposition for use during emergencies. The health department also conducts inventory of current stocks of medicines needed this month.

“We will coordinate with other government agencies to respond to emergencies. We are on code white alert this month, which means that all health workers are on call,” Molon added.

The DOH reminded the public that use of firecrackers is dangerous, firecrackers are hazardous to children, avoid people who are using firecrackers, not to pick up and use busted firecrackers, and go to nearest hospital in case of accidents.

Among the direct negative health effects of misuse of fireworks and firecrackers are blast or burns with or without amputation, eye injury that might lead to blindness, tetanus, poisoning, and death.

The health department encouraged the public to use alternative and safer means to celebrate Christmas and New Year. (PNA)
FFC/SQM