Low-level H1N1 outbreak in Metro declared

MANILA - The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said 28 more Filipinos have tested positive for influenza A (H1N1) infection, as a "low-level community outbreak" was declared in Metro Manila due to an increasing number of schools affected by the disease.

In a press statement, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said the 28 new cases involved 16 males and 12 females with ages ranging from seven months to 49 years old. All of the new cases have had no history of travel to any affected country, he said.

The total number of confirmed cases in the Philippines is now at 473, the DOH stated.

Duque also said 26 more A (H1N1) patients in the Philippines have already fully recovered, bringing the total count of those who have fully recovered to 400. The figure represents 85 percent of all the confirmed cases reported since May 21.

Duque reiterated there that is only one reported A(H1N1)-related death in the Philippines, which is also the first swine flu-related death in Asia.

In a press conference Monday, the health chief identified the victim as a 49-year-old woman residing in Metro Manila who died last June 19. Cause of death was "congestive heart failure secondary to acute myocardial infarction aggravated by severe pneumonia either bacterial, viral or both."

He said "a throat-swab revealed that she was positive for A (H1N1)."

The health chief said the woman's husband and 21-year-old son were quarantined after exhibiting symptoms of A (H1N1) infection.

Low-level outbreak in metro

The low-level community outbreak was declared in Metro Manila, specifically in Manila, Parañaque, Quezon City, Marikina, Makati, Pasig, Mandaluyong, and Caloocan.

Areas particularly affected are those where third-level transmission has been confirmed by the DOH, especially around schools with A (H1N1) cases.

Twenty-two schools in the national capital region have had students, faculty or staff getting the virus.

Third-level transmission occurs when a person contracts the illness from another person who has contracted the same from an "index case," or the initial patient, the DOH explained.

The DOH said they will now focus on curing patients than on contact tracing, saying it is now "impossible" to do contact tracing now that the virus transmission has shifted to migration.

The health department, however, said that the public should not be alarmed by this announcement, since it is not yet a sustained community outbreak.

They also said that the spread of the virus is still under control, since the cases are lumped together in small clusters, particularly in schools.

rally

no to con ass

ako mismo

h1n1

crazy story

Let me tell you a crazy story I heard recently.There' s this husband who
out of sheer love for his wife decided to prove it to her. So he swam the
widest oceans, crossed the deepest rivers, and climbed the highest
mountains to show his deep devotion to her. But in the end, she divorced
him.

Why? Because he was never home.(Get it?)

Let me tell you an experience I had as a kid. One day, I asked Mom, "Why do
my shoes keep eating my socks?" As a young boy, that was always a mystery
for me. All my other classmates never had that problem. Their socks
remained tight and high up their legs the entire day.

Mom didn't answer my question but simply gave me two rubber bands which I
dutifully placed around the top of my socks. To this day, fifteen years
later, I still have permanent circle marks around my legs. But aside from
giving me this slight defect, the two bands worked like magic.

It never occurred to me that Dad and Mom didn't have the money to buy a new
pair of socks for me. So I wore five-year-old socks, all soggy, grayish,
and garter less. And yet amazingly, I never complained. I believe it was
because Dad was always home when I needed him. Every night, after coming
from work, we'd jog together, sit around, and talk about Tarzan, Farrah
Fawcett Majors,God, and what I wanted to be when I grew up (a stockholder)
. On Saturdays, we'd walk to Cubao, eat a hotdog-on-a- stick,and buy new
rubber bands before going home.

I've learned that in truth, we don't want our loved ones to show their love
for us in big ways. Swimming the widest oceans,crossing the deepest rivers,
and climbing the highest mountains seem spectacular - but that's not what
we really want. Deep in our hearts, we just want them HOME . With us.

Sometimes, God will operate that way. Suddenly, He decides not to answer
our prayers, or fill our need, or heal our sickness, or give us the miracle
we're asking for. (He's got reasons why He won't, and believe me - they're
pretty good ones.) So He'll just be there beside you, holding you in a hug.
Sharing your pain.. Weeping as you weep. Oh, He might give you some rubber
bands. And that small comfort from Him will be more than enough to sustain
you. Because the most essential truth you already know.

...home.