American infected with A(H1N1) dies in Tacloban

TACLOBAN CITY , Philippines   – A 60-year-old American woman died of cardiac arrest in a hospital in Tacloban City Tuesday night after testing positive for the A(H1N1) flu, the Department of Health said yesterday

Dr. Edgardo Gonzaga, DOH regional director, said that Linda Seavey, a teacher at Bethel International School in Palo, Leyte, underwent gallbladder surgery before she caught swine flu.

“But of course we cannot discount possibilities that her death has complication with H1N1 virus,” he said.

Gonzaga said this is the first A(H1N1) death in Eastern Visayas.

A total 170 cases of influenza virus has been confirmed and that 386 more cases are under observation in the region, he added.

Dr. Earl Viernes, medical director of Bethany hospital prior to Seavey’s hospital confinement, sad she sought a medical check-up for chest pains.

“The patient died of cardiac arrest, and not A(H1N1) flu virus, when she was admitted,” he said. “No symptoms na infected pa siya ng flu virus but she died because of heart failure.“

The eldest daughter of Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and actress Cristina Gonzalez is among the 10 confirmed cases of influenza virus at Bethel International School.

Last July 13, school officials suspended classes at Bethel International School because of the flu.

Classes resumed last Monday, July 20.

As of press time, classes in five schools Tacloban City remain suspended.

These are the University of the Philippines, Liceo del Verbo (formerly Divine Word University), Holy Infant College, St. Therese School and Eastern Visayas State University.

Tacloban City alone has 57 confirmed influenza A(H1N1) cases.

In Muntinlupa, classes in a secondary school remain suspended following the death of a 42-year-old female teacher, who was found to have been infected with the A(H1N1) virus a week ago.

The teacher’s death is the fourth from A(H1N1) recorded in the country.

Based on medical records, the victim who already had pneumonia, diarrhea and fever, had vomited and was brought to the Ospital ng Muntinlupa last July 12.

She was later confirmed to be an A(H1N1) virus carrier.

Dr. Fe Faz, City School Division Superintendent, ordered the suspension of classes to allow workers to thoroughly clean the Muntinlupa Business High School building.

The scheduled make-up classes last Saturday were canceled, she added.

Faz said classes remain suspended for one week (July 20 to 24, 2009) to disinfect the four-story building after one of the teachers who was found positive of the A(H1N1) virus died on the evening of July 15.  

School personnel assisted workers coming from the City Hall’s General Services Unit, in scrubbing and disinfecting the floors and rooms where the victim usually held her classes, she added.

Faz said the one-week suspension of classes was made to allow continuous cleaning of the rooms so that school employees, parents of students and nearby communities will have peace of mind.

“These are all precautionary measures that we have to undertake to ensure the safety of our students as well as residents in the barangay,” she said.

Faz said adding that when classes resume all teachers and students will be screened.

“Those who are sick shall be sent home and referred to the nearest health center,” she said.

Muntinlupa Mayor Aldrin San Pedro ordered city health officials, led by City Health Chief Dr. Edilinda Patac, to subject residents suspected of having been infected with the virus to an extensive medical check-up.

“Anyone who had been in contact with the victim will be observed for symptoms of A(H1N1),” he said.

Patac said as a precaution, the anti-viral drug “Oseltamivir” will be immediately given to high-risk people who had mingled with the teacher.

“These include those who are 65 years old and above, five years old and below, pregnant women, and those afflicted with illnesses including asthma and other chronic pulmonary diseases,” she said.

The health condition of hospital personnel who were exposed to the patient will be monitored, and those who belong to the high-risk group will be given the anti-viral drug as prophylactic or preventive treatment, Patac said.

6 pupils in Bicol get flu

In Legazpi City, six elementary pupils in a private Catholic school were confirmed positive for A(H1N1) flu.

School authorities suspended classes yesterday afternoon as health officials started massive contact tracing for other persons who may have been infected.

Dr. Luis Mendoza, Albay health officer, said a boy and five girls at the Catholic-run St. Agnes Academy in Legazpi City were found positive of A(H1N1) infection.

However, the six had already fully recovered and are resting at home, he added.

Mendoza said contact tracing is the next step to take to ensure that the infection would be contained.

“We had immediately  started the contact tracings after we received  the  laboratory result  at around 12 noon today that six of the pupils  are positive to H1N1 infection,” he said.

Mendoza said the new flu cases have no connection to an earlier case involving a nine-year-old Australian who visited this city last week.

“In fact, the H1N1-positive manifested flu some two weeks ago already,” he said.

“But we only received the result of the lab testing today. That’s why even these pupils had already fully recovered at present.”

Students have been advised to immediately inform health authorities once they experience flu-like symptoms, Mendoza said.

Zamboanga reports 29 flu cases

In Zamboanga Peninsula, the DOH has reported 29 that people has been infected with the A (H1N1) virus during the past two weeks.

Dr. Norvie Taruc, Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit chief, said 22 cases were reported in Zamboanga City, three each in Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Norte.

Seven additional flu cases have been recorded in Zamboanga City, she added.

Among those afflicted is an eight-month old baby boy, who is still developing his immunity system to fight the virus, she said..

Isabela City in Basilan has remained free of the influenza, Taruc said.

Red Cross ready for outbreak

The Philippine National Red Cross is readying a plan to against a possible outbreak of the flu in the country.

Sen. Richard Gordon,           PNRC chairman, said Red Cross members and government health experts nationwide will gather to prepare the plan and mechanism for community resilience in areas of public health, food security and livelihood.

“We hope to strengthen the capacity and competency of relevant staff, volunteers and civil society as well as to develop a well-functioning coordination mechanisms at all levels with national, regional and international stakeholders,” he said.

PNRC secretary general Gwendolyn Pang said is mounting the Humanitarian Pandemic Preparedness Project through a three-day symposium at Manila Grand Opera Hotel in Sta. Cruz, Manila .

The project intends to support community-level planning on how to organize, coordinate and deliver an effective humanitarian response in countries deemed to be vulnerable to an outbreak of pandemic influenza, she added. – With Rhodina Villanueva, Cet Dematera, Roel Pareño, Mayen Jaymalin