Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya: Group to focus on prevention

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu provincial government isn't taking any chance.

Yesterday, in a preemptive move, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) created a task force that will focus on keeping Zika away from the province. The task force will also deal with dengue and Chikungunya cases.

Only one case of Zika has been recorded, so far, in Cebu City but Cebu Province has recorded five cases of Chikungunya and over 4,900 cases of dengue from January to September this year.

The task force is composed of the Bureau of Fire Protection, Department of Interior and Local Government, Association of Barangay Councils, League of Municipalities of the Philippines - Cebu Chapter, and Department of Education.                      

 Dr. Niño Ismael Pastor, PHO chief on public health, said they will conduct a province-wide environmental cleanup drive in partnership with different government agencies to prevent the spread of Zika virus.

 "Province-wide simultaneous cleanup will start as soon as possible. The problem is mosquitoes' moving target within 3-5-kilometer range that's why we do it simultaneously," he said.

 He said it has been agreed initially that BFP will clean canals and river systems. Aside from cleanup operations, health education and misting all over the province will also be conducted.

All three diseases are spread by mosquitoes.

DOH-7 Director Jaime Bernadas said spread of the virus can be prevented if everyone helps in putting preventive measures in place.

"The campaign is for everybody to really initiate cleanliness in their homes and in the neighborhood. We are again reminding our partners, the local government and the barangays, to continually be vigilant against the spread of vector-borne diseases by eliminating the breeding sites of mosquitoes," he said.

Cebu city case

In Cebu City, at least five people living with the patient have been placed under observation.

Bernadas said the 22-year-old female patient has been discharged and is no longer manifesting symptoms but authorities still decided to extract blood samples from those living with her to make sure they have not been infected albeit they have not suffered from fever.

"We will tell you the results as soon as we have them," Bernadas said.

The blood samples have been sent to the DOH-RITM office in Manila for testing Tuesday afternoon.

"We are trying to avoid indiscriminate fogging," Bernadas said.

He explained that they are withholding the patient's name to protect her from possible discrimination and so as not to cause panic among the neighbors.

Less fatal

Both Pastor and Bernadas said the Zika virus is not as fatal as dengue, as it is a mild viral infection and self-limiting disease that one can still recover from without medication.

 Zika virus is transmitted to people through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti, the same type of mosquito that spreads dengue and Chikungunya - that are most aggressive during daytime and usually present in tropical countries with large mosquito population.

Last Monday, with the alarming upsurge of cases mostly in Latin America, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika virus a "public health emergency of international concern."

 However, Pastor said pregnant women have to be more careful from mosquito bites since they are more vulnerable. Infection with the Zika virus might cause side effects to their babies.  The baby inside the womb of a Zika-infected mother may be born with abnormally small heads due to incomplete brain development called microcephaly.

 The common symptoms of Zika include fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis. Other symptoms are muscle pain, headache, pain behind the eyes and vomiting.

 People sick with Zika virus are also advised to get plenty of rest, drink enough fluids, and treat pain and fever with common medicines such as paracetamol, but not aspirin.

 Pastor said it is better to seek immediate medical consultation if only to determine if the person infected suffers from Dengue or Zika virus since the two are alike, especially in their symptoms. (FREEMAN)