Public urged: Be wary this cold season

MANILA, Philippines - With the cold weather setting in, the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday advised the public to observe caution to prevent influenza-like illnesses.

Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, DOH program manager for emerging and re-emerging diseases, said influenza-like illnesses like cough, colds and flu are common during the Christmas season.

“We urge the public to keep their immunity strong by observing health lifestyle. Get enough sleep, avoid drinking and smoking, and eat a balanced diet,” Lee Suy said in a telephone interview.

He also noted that the public should strictly observe personal hygiene, like covering the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.

“As much as possible avoid crowded places. And if it is cold, wear appropriate clothing. I don’t think anyone of us would want to get sick during Christmas,” he said.

Lee Suy also advised the public not to panic over reports that Influenza A-H1N1 is spreading in Baguio City because it is “out of context” and the disease is now considered as “part of the processes of seasonal influenza,” even if it shocked the world in 2009.

He said H1N1, which does not have vaccines, is just like other influenza-causing viruses.

Some three years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic, the first time in 41 years, after H1N1 was detected spreading rapidly across several nations.

The WHO website showed the virus spread easily from person to person through exposure to infected droplets expelled by coughing or sneezing that “can be inhaled or that can contaminate hands or surfaces.”