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By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews
Dengue fever
Health officials in the province of Negros Oriental report that the number of dengue cases continues to increase.
Dr. Socrates Villamor, provincial chief of the Ministry of Health, said that, on August 17, his records indicate a total of 2,823 cases reported in the province since January 1 of this year.
This figure is 209% higher than the figures for the same period last year, which recorded only 915 cases and six deaths.
The majority of cases came from Dumaguete, followed by Mabinay, Bayawan, Siaton and Sibulan.
Nationally, the cumulative number of dengue cases from January 1 to August 3 is 188,562. More than 800 deaths have been reported.
In addition, Senator Richard Gordon called on the country to become the "capital of dengue research".
"We should be the world capital of dengue research. We should make the Philippines a fortress against dengue, "said Gordon in a speech last week.
"It's a golden opportunity to use it as a research. We want to learn from this research in this country where dengue is endemic. At this dark moment, let the government be a symbol of hope for dengue, for ourselves and for the world, "he said.
Gordon said the government "could put in place the most advanced research and development program and test facilities for dengue specialists in anticipation of the next dengue epidemic, which occurs every three or five years" .
Finally, after calls from patient organizations to lift the ban on dengvaxiaThe Department of Health (DOH) said it had rejected Sanofi Pasteur, Inc.'s appeal to overturn the decision of the Food and Drug Administration to permanently ban the drug. 39, use of dengvaxia in the country.
In a statement Thursday, DOH Sec. Francisco Duque III said he confirmed the FDA's action on "the persistent inability to submit Sanofi to its post-approval obligations" of the tobacco-free vaccine.
"The decision concerns Sanofi's total non-compliance with FDA regulations, which were specifically put in place by law to ensure safety," said Duque.
Measles
A measles epidemic in a barangay in Mati City, Davao Oriental resulted in the death of two one-year-old children. In a statement from Mati's information office, Purok Gemelina, in Barangay, Don Salvador Lopez reported 24 cases of measles that had infected individuals whose two children had not survived.
The health office of the city (CHO) indicates that there are about 5,000 people living in said barangay. About 483 of them reside in Purok Gemelina, where about 78 of them belong to a religious group that would oppose any form of medical treatment.
Of the 24 cases, 22 would be members of this group.
Nationally, there have been at least 34,950 cases of measles – and 477 deaths due to the disease – since the beginning of the year.
African swine fever
Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said Thursday that the government should propose mitigation measures to avoid a "financial disaster" in the event of a possible outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) ) in the country.
In a statement, Recto said that the hog industry, which costs PHP 280 billion a year, deserves emergency help in case of local outbreak.
On August 16, the Ministry of Agriculture received an incident report from our Bureau of the Animal Industry (BAI) regarding the increase in the mortality of pigs raised by farmers in their backyards.
To date, the cause of a recent rise in pork mortality in the Philippines has not been announced.
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