Tuesday, December 15, 2009

BE RESPONSIBLE, KNOW YOUR RISKS, GET TESTED FOR HIV --- DOH

From: DOH WebPage

Press Release / 11 December 2009

Give your loved ones the best gift this holiday season: faithfulness and willpower to turn away from risky and harmful vices and behaviors.

The 2009 Integrated HIV Behavioral and Serological Surveillance (IHBSS) revealed today that the number of Filipinos afflicted with HIV/AIDS especially among high risk populations is steadily growing. Further, the Department of Health (DOH) said that the risk for HIV/AIDS will continue if advocacy efforts to avert the increase of this disease will not be intensified. Latest data said that most of the cases were due to unprotected sex and injecting drug use of persons who may have harmed others unknowingly.

“The threat is real. An individual is like a walking time bomb that may explode and spread the virus to others, cause deaths especially if he or she doesn’t know his or her HIV status while engaging in high risk behaviors.” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said.

The health chief said that although the number of new HIV infections has dropped by 17% globally since 2001, the number of new cases here in the country has increased by 334%.

The 2009 IHBSS report disclosed that the overall prevalence of cases in the most at risk populations (MARPs) is 530 per 100,000 population. It also revealed the following figures: men having sex with men – 1,050/100,000; freelance female sex workers – 540/100,000; registered female sex workers – 230/100,000; and injecting drug users – 210/100,000.

“These figures are far high compared to the numbers that the 2007 IHBSS has yielded,” Duque said.

The 2007 IHBSS reported the following figures: overall prevalence in MARPs– 99 per 100,000 population; men having sex with men – 280/100,000; freelance female sex workers – 44/100,000; registered female sex workers – 68/100,000; and injecting drug users – 130/100,000.

“The number of infected persons in the Philippines is growing and the infection is spreading fast in most-at-risk populations such as freelance female sex workers, men having sex with men, and injecting drug users, among others. We have to stop the spread and gain control of the situation,” Duque said.

“Although HIV and AIDS do not discriminate and anyone can get infected including unborn babies, we have groups that are more at risk than others because of behaviors that include unprotected vaginal and anal sex, multiple sex partners and re-use of needles and syringes while injecting drugs, to name some,” Duque said.

The Secretary said that to prevent the spread of the virus, the DOH is determined to boost its information drive and strengthen its prevention program and services against HIV/AIDS.

“But the efforts of DOH alone are not enough. The DOH will need the help of other sectors, other agencies of government, the LGUs, civic society and individuals and communities. All of us have a responsibility and role in stopping this disease,” Duque said.

The Philippine HIV/AIDS Registry reported that for October 2009, 80 new HIV cases have been confirmed by the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory. This was a 36% increase compared to the same period last year (59 in 2008). This brought the total of cases for 2009 to 626. Four (4) of these new cases were reported as AIDS. There was no death reported for the month of October.

The cumulative number of HIV cases from 1984 to October this year is 4,218, of which 828 have become AIDS. Of the 828 cases, 314 have already died. The most common mode of transmission was sexual contact (3,798 out of 4,218), while the least common was through mother-to-child transmission (49/4,218).

NOTE: For further inquiries on the 2009 IHBSS data, please call Dr. Eric Tayag at 09178554257; for prevention program and services, please call Dr. Gerard Belimac at 09159402115.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

NUMBER OF NEWBORN DEATHS TO DROP SOON --- DOH

From: DOH WebPage

The Department of Health (DOH) expects a sharp cut on infant deaths in the future as it launched the Essential Newborn Care (ENC) Protocol today.

“We believe that this protocol will pave the way for the solution on the problems we have on neonatal deaths. We are very positive that its adoption will directly reduce the count of newborn deaths in the country,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said.

Health authorities said that the Philippines is one of the 42 countries in the world where 90% of all global deaths of under 5 year old children are accounted to.

“Although childhood death rates in the country showed a downward trend from 1993 to 2003, the decline slowed down in the last 10 years,” Duque said, noting that the under five mortality rate decreased to only 32 per 1000 livebirths in 2003 from 52 per 1,000 livebirths in 1988.

“The infant mortality and child death rates have also exhibited similar trend over the same period,” the health chief noted.

Secretary Duque said that neonatal and post-neonatal deaths declined the slowest over the past 20 years with the reduction of only 9 percent and 7 percent, respectively, from 1988 to 2003.

“Our analysis showed that 50% of these deaths occur during the first 2 days of life with the following as causes: birth asphyxia (31%), complications of prematurity (30%) and severe infection (19%),” Duque explained.

“Now, we are launching this Protocol, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, to help solve this newborn mortality problem because if it is not reduced by at least half, the goal of reducing childhood mortality by two thirds by 2015 would not be met,” Duque said. The Medium Development Goal target is 6 per 1000 livebirths by 2015.

Secretary Duque explained that ENC is a comprehensive strategy to improve the health of the newborn through interventions before conception during pregnancy, at and soon after birth, and in the postnatal period.

“But for this Protocol, we are focusing on the 1st few hours of life of the newborn with the manual guiding the health workers and medical practitioners in providing evidence-based essential newborn care,” Duque said.

The health chief said that the guidelines categorize procedures into time-bound, non-time bound, and unnecessary procedures.

“Time bound interventions should be routinely performed first and include: immediate drying, skin to skin contact followed by clamping of the cord after 1 to 3 minutes, non-separation of the newborn from the mother, and breastfeeding initiation,” Secretary Duque said.

The health chief said that non-time bound interventions include immunizations, eye care, Vitamin K administration, weighing and washing.

“There are also the so-called unnecessary procedures and these include routine suctioning, routine separation of newborns for observation, administration of prelacteals like glucose water or formula, and footprinting,” Secretary Duque said.

The health chief signed the new Protocol as the government launched the UNANG YAKAP Campaign today.



Tuesday, December 1, 2009

RP TO RECEIVE H1N1 VACCINES FROM WHO

From: DOH WebPage

The Philippine government will soon receive H1N1 vaccines from the World Health Organization (WHO) after the two parties signed an agreement yesterday and presented the document to Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo earlier today.

The said agreement stipulates that the government will ensure its registration and authorize its use; commit to its appropriate and ethical use; handle its importation, customs clearance and distribution; and notify WHO of occurrence of any unexpected adverse events.

The endowment, according to WHO Director General Margaret Chan, is part of WHO’s pledge to make the distribution equitable and fair to developing countries and poor and vulnerable populations once it becomes available.

The WHO made this commitment during the 60th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in September this year where WHO said that its donations coming from more developed countries and pharmaceuticals will be enough to cover 10% of the population of the developing world.

The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) disclosed that the first deliveries of the vaccines shall be given to health care providers.

Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said that these medical personnel are at higher risk of getting the disease than ordinary people due to the larger probability of exposure, plus they may also unknowingly transmit the infections to their families and other patients with other illnesses.

Duque said that the next in the priority list are pregnant women because they have 10x the risk of needing intensive care if infected compared to the general population; people aged 6 months to 59 years old with chronic medical conditions; children five years old and below and adults who are beyond 60 years old (healthy or otherwise) because they are considered to be at highest risk of severe infection; and lastly, the remainder of the population.

The health chief stressed that the vaccination is free of charge and will only be given to those who will volunteer to be immunized against the novel virus.

Duque said that the WHO estimates that it will be able to obtain donations and funding for procurement of at least 200 million vaccines in the first year, which will be enough to cover 10% of the population of the developing world.

“But of course, we cannot afford to just sit and wait for it. Therefore, we are now making our best efforts to procure on our own,” the health chief said, emphasizing that the DOH has already allocated P100 million for it this year.

We have to understand, however, the reality that because the global manufacturing capacity is limited, supplies may be initially inadequate and not readily be augmented,” Duque explained.

The government also expressed its gratefulness to the WHO for its continuous health assistance to the victims of the three consecutive typhoons and tropical storms that hit the country recently.

WHO also responded to the request of the DOH to send a team of experts from the WHO Global Outbreak and Alert Response Network (GOARN) to assess the leptospirosis outbreak in the country and to help improve the country’s post-disaster surveillance and disease outbreak control and response efforts.

“We laud the WHO for its steady collaborative partnership with the Philippine government in mounting a coordinated and integrated health sector response to many disease challenges in the country especially in times of disasters. Our country is grateful,” President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said.