By JUNE S. BLANCO | June 7, 2009

HIGH technology also has its downside: the speed of the jet also brought to Bohol a balikbayan from southern California, USA, who tested positive for the influenza A H1N1 virus.

A 30-year old lady who lives in Sitio Karaw-an in Dampas District, Tagbilaran City – three months pregnant at that – became Bohol’s first confirmed case of A H1N1.

Getting flu-like symptoms with accompanying diarrhea – tell-tale signs of the potentially fatal viral infection – the balikbayan checked in at the Borja Family Hospital in Tagbilaran although she was perfectly fine when she first planed in from the United States last May 23.

During her confinement, her attending physician ordered a throat swab and had it sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Alabang, Metro Manila. Feeling up and about again, she asked to be discharged – before the hospital received the laboratory results of her throat swab.

Provincial Health Officer (PHO) Reymoses Cabagnot said the sheer number of requests nationwide for laboratory examinations plus the required period to culture samples for the confirmatory test that also takes some time explains why the patient’s discharge came before the test results arrived.

Upon the order of Health Sec. Francisco Duque III, Region 7 Dir. Susana Madarieta and some staff immediately went to Bohol to closely monitor the case.

They were able to locate the patient last Thursday. She agreed to undergo voluntary self-quarantine. The health personnel also did the standard contact tracing to monitor who among them might be infected too.

Cabagnot is the designated spokesperson of the task force on AH1N1. Acting Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera called the task force to a meeting Friday “to discuss and map out plans pertinent to an index case of AH1N1 virus infection in Bohol.” Gov. Erico Aumentado was still in Russia with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo when the case broke out. He was expected to be back in Bohol Sunday (June 7) afternoon yet.

WHAT TO DO

As the Department of Health (DoH) already appropriately handled Bohol’s index AH1N1 case, the provincial health officer turned to strengthening public awareness to allay fears and unnecessary panic among the Boholanos who are afraid that they might also catch the infection.

Cabagnot clarified that AH1N1 is spread through droplet infection. He said this calls for the covering of the nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing, frequent washing of the hands, taking a bath once or even twice daily and general personal hygience.

He also strongly urges for the meantime social distancing – less beso-beso (cheek-to-cheek kisses or smacks), handshakes and bear hugs with relatives and friends coming in from countries with confirmed AH1N1 cases.

He likewise suggests to persons developing flu-like symptoms with diarrhea, especially those who made contacts with relatives and friends from AH1N1 positive countries to submit to medical check ups.

He said the swine flu virus is less fearsome or dreadful than rabies, dengue or pneumonia. Mortality of AH1N1 remains at 0.8 or less than one for every 1,000 population affected.

Just like any other opportunistic disease however AH1N1 is fatal to a person with lowered immune system and those with lesser resistance like the elderly and the very young children.

He asks for the full cooperation of the mayors, local officials and municipal health officers for the widest dissemination of the suggested steps to take to avoid the infection.

“I will also suggest to Gov. Aumentado the issuance of an executive order adopting the national technical guidelines, standards and other interactions for reference in the Pandemic Response to Influenza A (H1N1) that Sec. Duque has released, with modifications to make them more suited to the Bohol situation,” he said.

Asked if he will suggest that the Tigum Bol-anon Tibuok Kalibutan (TBTK) or the global conference of Boholanos in July ought to be postponed because of the virus threat, Herrera said the task force and the Sandugo festival organizers are in a better position to decide and announce the decision thereafter.