First Confirmed A(H1N1) Case in RP Already Contained

Manila – the 10-year old Filipino girl who is the first confirmed case of A(H1N1) in the Philippines is now under self-quarantine in her home, according to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. The girl has traveled to the United States and Canada. She returned to the country on May 18 on a Korean Air flight from the U.S. via Seoul with her mother. The next day, she began complaining of fever, cough and sore throat. Her swab throat samples were examined and confirmed for A(H1N1) by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine. Her mother tested negative. “The patient is now recovering well,” DOH Undersecretary Mario Villaverde told Manila Standard Today. “She no longer has fever and cough but still has sore throat.” The DOH is set to send a team to the girl’s house for a “More thorough assessment of the household contacts,” said Villaverde. In a related development, the World Health Organization is now hesitant to issue a pandemic alert. The WHO “was caught Thrursday between the spread of the new swine flu virus to 41 countries and doubts fostered by its mild symptoms,” according to an AFP wire report. “The WHO sense that recommendations which go with that are not adopted to the situation,” French epidemiologist Antoine Flahaut told AFP. But the “Technical elements” are already in place if the scenario of a pandemic arises. This story originally appeared in AllVoices.com ( http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/3281968-first-confirmed-ah1n1-case-in-rp-already-contained) Photo of girl in airport courtesy of InImagine.com