DOH chief confirms 6 AH1N1 cases in Ilocos

MANILA, Philippines - Health Secretary Enrique Ona confirmed yesterday that six elementary students in Candon City, Ilocos Sur have contracted the AH1N1 virus but he assured that there is no need to panic.

In an interview on the sidelines of the World Population Day celebration, Ona said there is no cause for alarm. “These are confirmed cases – three girls and three boys. But I want to assure the public that the Department of Health is on top of these things.”

According to Ona, H1N1 has not become fatal since it first surfaced last year, gripping the world in fear.

“H1N1 is already in the Philippines. Consider it as a part of (our) daily life. Everyone can get it but at the same time, it appears just like an ordinary flu,” he said.

Dr. Lyndon Leesuy, program manager of the DOH for emerging and re-merging diseases, noted in a telephone interview that prior to the six cases, many sporadic cases of H1N1 had been reported to the department.

“It was just like an ordinary flu, there’ll be cases from time to time. But these six cases caught attention because of the number of cases involved in one particular area,” Leesuy said.

Ona assured the DOH is not letting its guard down. Its disease experts are closely monitoring the cases in Candon City to ensure that it would not spread further and that all cases are caught.

“We are closely investigating this. It’s just a new strain that has reached the community. It may or may not spread but we are continuously monitoring it to find out the real picture of H1N1,” he said.

Last year, the world was sent into panic after people started falling ill from H1N1, a new virus then. 

While the virus is relatively not fatal, it spreads easily from person to person through exposure to infected droplets expelled by sneezing and coughing.

This prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global pandemic for H1N1, the first since 1977.