Capitol confirms A(H1N1) outbreak in Alubijid, Misamis Oriental

Provincial Capitol – Misamis Oriental health officials confirmed Tuesday nine confirmed cases of the A(H1N1) influenza in two schools in Alubijid, Misamis Oriental.

Dr. Ignacio Moreno, provincial health officer, said his office first received reports of students and faculty exhibiting flu-like symptoms Thursday and immediately dispatched a team from the Department of Health – Provincial Health Team (DOH-PHT) headed by team leader Tessie Cebedo to take swab samples from the suspected victims.

The team took five swab samples each from the Naawan Elementary School and Naawan National High School which were immediately sent to the Regional Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Manila for anaylsis.

"Of the 10 samples, nine were confirmed Tuesday to be A(H1N1) cases," Moreno said in a press conference at the provincial governor´s office.

Samples have also been taken by the DOH-PHT team from eight suspected A(H1N1) cases in Naawan and sent to the RITM but no test results have yet arrived for that batch. The same team went to Claveria Wednesday, July 29 to take swabs from other suspected cases in the municipality for transmission to the RITM.

Moreno said they immediately mobilized the province´s A(H1N1) Task Force to the area and called an emergency meeting of the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) of both schools for a briefing on measures to be taken to help stop the virus from spreading.

Upon receipt of the RITM´s confirmation that the suspected cases were indeed A(H1N1), Dr. Ma. Fe Sarita, medical officer of the Department of Education´s (DepEd) Division of Misamis Oriental immediately suspended classes in both schools for the next 10 days. Sarita said DepEd guidelines only allow the suspension of classes upon the RITM´s confirmation that the suspected cases are indeed A(H1N1).

Vice Gov. Norris Babiera, who represented Gov. Oscar Moreno in the presscon, said the nine confirmed cases were immediately advised to confine themselves to their respective residences. They included four students and a faculty member from the Naawan Elementary School and four students from the Naawan National High School.

Moreno said none of the nine patients have taken Tamiflu and some had already recovered from their illnesss and were up and about.

Babiera downplayed the 90% incidence of the first 10 cases tested in the municipality. "It´s okay to worry but let´s not panic yet," Babiera said. He confirmed that the DepEd has already verified it would immediately launch a massive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaign to brief all school faculty and children in the province in response to an earlier resolution to this effect sponsored in the provincial board by Board Member Santiago Sabal.

Moreno said efforts to combat the spread of the virus are centered on the respective municipal health offices in coordination with the seven hospitals of the Misamis Oriental Provincial Hospital System and the inter-local health zones.

The province´s quarantine stations in Lugait and Magsaysay earlier prepared for livestock cases would also be deployed if needed. The Lugait station is about 70% completed while the work has commenced on the Magsaysay station, he added.

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