DOH: ‘Epekto ng COVID-19 sa health services ng malaria, TB at HIV binabantayan’

By Bombo Christian Yosores -July 16, 2020 | 3:01 PM29 Inalerto na ng Department of Health (DOH) ang mga sangay nitong nakatutok sa sitwasyon ng malaria, tuberculosis at HIV sa bansa dahil sa epekto ng COVID-19 pandemic sa iba pang health services. Lumabas kasi sa isang pag-aaral sa United Kingdom na dahil sa epekto ng pandemic sa health services, posibleng dumami ang bilang ng mga mamamatay sa nasabing sakit sa mahihirap na bansa. “In countries with a high malaria burden and large HIV and TB epidemics, even short-term disruptions could have devastating consequences for the millions of people who depend on programs to control and treat these diseases,” ani Timothy Hallet ng Imperial College London at co-author ng research. Ayon kay Health Usec. Maria Rosario Vergeire, sa ngayon ay wala pang nakikitang banta ang National Malaria Control and Elimination Program sa pagkalat ng sakit dahil limitado lang sa tatlong probinsya ang community transmission ng malaria: Palawan, Sultan Kudarat at Occidental Mindoro. “In the remaining provinces cases are usually imported from outside of the country and in a few instances locally from Palawan.” Inatasan na raw ng DOH ang mga local government units na palagiang mag-report, mag-imbestiga, mag-validate at asistahan ang malaria cases para hindi lumala ang pagkalat ng sakit. “The Department has also required that the local governments should provide a weekly malaria status which is being reviewed by the Department and our health partners.” Sa ilalim naman ng National Tuberculosis Program, nakipag-ugnayan na raw ang DOH sa partner agencies nito para mabuo ang “National Tuberculosis Adaptiver Plan.” “The said document will provide specific doable measures and adjustments to the current implementation of TB care guidelines to ensure the sustainability of TB cascade of care in prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and care services and complimenting the COVID-19 response of the designated facilities and providers.” Kasali rin daw sa lumalakad na hakbang ng programa ang lingguhang meeting para sa monitoring ng epekto ng pandemic sa TB services. Una nang sinabi ng DOH na sapat pa ang supply ng antiretroviral drugs para sa mga Persons Living with HIV. Sa ngayon lumakad na raw ang procurement process ng ahensya para matiyak na mataas ang buffer stock ng estado sa treatment drugs ng HIV patients. As of April 2020, nakapagtala ang DOH ng 77,882 na total ng HIV cases sa Pilipinas. “Thus, we call on HIV advocates, concerned individuals, groups, and organizations to help us disseminate this relevant information on the steady supply of HIV drugs to allay the fears and anxiety of our PLHIV.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more