Health staff training, new anti-flu tack

With the failure of containment, the Department of Health has shifted focus against the A (H1N1) flu virus to mitigation by training as many health-service personnel as possible on the basic handling of the disease.

“As we anticipate more cases in the coming months, we must institute effective mitigation measures to save lives and prevent deaths, and to reduce the impact of the pandemic to our nation and the economy,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday.

Even far-off Mindanao has not been spared as 13 suspected cases have been found with one, a student in Zamboanga City falling ill, six people cleared, with the remaining six still waiting for results of their tests.

President Arroyo has, meanwhile, checked out of the Asian Hospital and Medical Center on Thursday after observing two nights of “self-quarantine” upon arrival from her latest foreign trips. She was pronounced free of the flu.

While the health department lifted the requirement for self-quarantine for travelers arriving from abroad, the President decided on the measure amid criticisms the quarantine lifting may be for the benefit of the Chief Executive, who was then flying in from Hong Kong, her last stop in a swing through Latin and North America.

In other developments, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) urged the labor department to compel large firms employing more than 500 workers to promptly submit their “preparedness plans” in dealing with the spread of the swine flu.

In a statement, TUCP secretary-general and former senator Ernesto Herrera said, “The DOLE [Department of Labor and Employment] has to ensure that business establishments, particularly the labor-intensive ones, are taking adequate preventive measures” since the illness could very well affect economic activities to the disadvantage of workers, businesses and the public alike.

"It's good that we have another option to fight the A (Hh1N1) Swine Flu Virus. I hope that everyone may cooperate on this plan."

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