Health department warns of summer diseases

Source from: http://www.sunstar.com
THE Baguio City Health Services Office identified five diseases caused by sudden change in climate and temperature, and advised the public to be conscious of their health now that summer is here.

City Health Education and Promotion Officer Elvira Flores said these diseases are influenza, cholera, dengue, hepatitis A and measles.

“We’re experiencing an extremely unusual weather condition in the city that is why common diseases during summer are also observed [even] during the rainy season,” she said.

Among these diseases, influenza topped the list with 3,682 reported cases of influenza-like diseases in the city, making it second in the ten leading causes of morbidity.

Symptoms are fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, sore throat and cough, Flores said.

Because of this, the Baguio Health Department in partnership with the Department of Health recently strengthened its campaign to inform the public of proper coughing manners to avoid spread of influenza, tuberculosis, and other communicable diseases.

Dengue, which is acquired from a day-biting Aedes Aegypti mosquito, is second on the list, Flores added.

Sudden fever, intense headache, muscle and joint pains, loss of appetite, rashes and nose and gum bleeding are the symptoms. In 2010, the City Health Services Office recorded 1187 cases of dengue and a total of 3,641 since 2005.

Flores said dengue can be prevented by rigorous house cleaning and removal of breeding grounds of mosquitoes.

Third on the list is Hepatitis A or infectious hepatitis where the city registers a 27.2 five-year average cases with 163 listed cases from 2005 to 2010.

The self-limiting disease, which lasts for one to two weeks, is caused by ingestion of food contaminated with human waste and urine of persons who are sick of the virus.

Flores said the city has been strictly monitoring food handlers in the city, especially those who peddle food on the streets, to secure sanitary permits from the City Health Office.

Fourth is cholera, a fatal disease. A healthy individual afflicted with cholera may die within two to three days if he is untreated.

Signs are sudden onset of frequent painless watery stool, vomiting and rapid dehydration, Flores said.

Flores said food handlers must wash their hands first or use sanitary gloves when preparing food. She added drinking water must be boiled for two minutes.

In Baguio, at least five cases of cholera have been recorded since 2005.

Officials also warned of measles, which a highly contagious viral disease. Measles may lead to complications such as brain infection or pneumonia and may kill the sufferer.

However, health officials stressed measles may be averted with vaccinations, which are given free in barangay health centers.

She advised parents to have their children vaccinated as the Department of Health is conducting a door-to-door intensive vaccination.

In 2010, an outbreak for measles was declared in the city with 49 confirmed cases from zero in the past years.