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DOH: 5 people being tested for H1N1 virus


MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health on Wednesday said that five people - two Filipinos and three foreigners – are being tested for Influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a press conference in Manila that the two Filipinos - a 32-year-old and a 29-year-old – came from Ireland and the United States, respectively. The foreigners being tested included a 26-year-old woman from the United Kingdom, as well as two children - a 12-year-old and a nine-year-old - from South Korea. The Korean patients are undergoing observation at the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) office in Alabang, Muntinlupa, while the British and one of the Filipinos are all quarantined at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu in Central Visayas. The United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Korea all have confirmed cases of the dreaded virus, which has so far killed 26 people in Mexico and one in the United States, and downed thousands more across the globe. Swab samples obtained from the five people being observed will be tested by the RITM, which can determine within a day or two whether the virus is a human or swine flu virus. Between May 1 and 6, the DOH has already placed 10 people under observation but five of them had already tested negative for the flu infection, cutting in half the remaining people being checked. Duque also said in the briefing that Dr. Eric Tayag of the National Epidemiology Center is set to leave the country on Thursday to meet with various health officials from Japan, South Korea, and China. “Their agenda in the meeting of heath ministers is to compare each other’s pandemic preparedness action plans. What will each country will do in terms of surveillance as prescribed by the World Health Organization and issues like personal prevention," Duque said. A consolidation of the reports from member countries in Asia will be presented to other world health officials during the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland on May 18, Duque said. No one is spared The growing number of suspected H1N1 virus infections globally has already prompted local authorities to tighten security measures for departing and arriving passengers. Duque even advised boxing champion Manny Pacquiao to defer his scheduled flight back home until next week. (See: DOH wants Team Pacquiao to defer return trip to RP) Even President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was not spared from being subjected under the stiffer monitoring efforts implemented at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to check for H1N1 virus. Mrs. Arroyo and her delegation – after coming from an official trip to Egypt and Syria – arrived at the airport past 7 a.m. and went through the airport's thermal scanner and underwent a footbath. She did not give an arrival statement. Thermal scanning, along with airport officials’ wearing of masks and gloves, were some of the precautionary measures against infection with swine flu. As for the three Filipinos in Hong Kong placed under quarantine along with 200 other people at the Metropark Hotel, Duque explained that the measure was just meant to prevent a spread of the flu virus. Hong Kong authorities said that a Mexican tourist who tested positive for the virus checked in at the hotel in Wanchai last week. (See: 3 Pinoys among visitors quarantined in Hong Kong) “I’m sure that the quarantine measures being implemented by Hong Kong is not meant to harm anyone there, much less our Filipino contingent there," he assured. “We have been assured that the Filipinos there are being provided food. But we just have to await the report from the ministry of Hong Kong," Duque said. Verification process To confirm the cases, the DOH will first have to identify if the flu virus that plagued the patients were a Type A influenza. If found to be so, the virus will then have to be further identified as either Hemagglutinin 1 (H1) or H3. “Kapag negative po sa H1 at H3, tsaka pa lang namin ika-classify na probable case ito [If the virus was not identified as an H1 or H3, only then can we call this a probable case]," Tayag earlier said. The swab sample obtained from a probable case will then be brought to a laboratory in Melbourne, Australia to finally ascertain if the virus is an Influenza A (H1N1). Tayag said Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase (as in N1) are types of proteins commonly present in flu viruses. He said that medical science has so far identified 16 types of Hemagglutinin and 9 types of Neuraminidase. - GMANews.TV
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