Senators calls on gov't to prepare for rising flu-like cases in PH

Senators urged the government to intensify its preparations and use the lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic to address the reported increase in flu-like cases in the country. 

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, emphasized the urgency of doing this amid concerns about the increasing respiratory illnesses in other regions since mid-October, particularly among children.

Go expressed his support for a possible inquiry into the government's preparedness in handling increasing influenza cases.

"Ako, pabor po ako dito. (I'm in favor of this) I am willing to call for a hearing dito para mapakinggan natin yung (so we can learn about the) preparedness ng ating gobyerno (of our government), ng (the) Department of Health (DOH) regarding the rising cases of influenza and how to address this problem dahil ayaw nating lumala ito at ayaw nating maapektuhan ang ating mga kababayan (because we don't want this to intensify and we don't want this to affect our citizens),” he stated.

He emphasized the critical importance of health, equating it to the life of every Filipino, and underscored the need for DOH to be well-prepared. He stressed, “tandaan natin na ang kalusugan ay katumbas ng buhay ng bawat Pilipino.” 

He stressed the importance of being proactive and prepared, drawing lessons from the challenges faced during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The more we should invest sa ating healthcare system, the more we should invest dito na magkaroon tayo ng sariling (in having our own) Center for Disease Control at ito pong (and this) Virology Science and Technology Institute,” he said.

Recent reports from the DOH have indicated a reassuring turn, with all recorded cases of walking pneumonia fully recovered. The DOH reported four cases in total: one case in January, another in July, and two additional cases in September.

DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa has also confirmed that there is currently no outbreak of walking pneumonia in the country.

Despite this, Go has urged Filipinos to maintain vigilance and adhere to health protocols, including the voluntary use of masks. The senator also earlier reinforced the role of Malasakit Centers and Super Health Centers in providing accessible healthcare and early disease detection, especially in light of these recent health concerns.

Meanwhile, Sen. Nancy Binay said on Monday, Dev. 11 that the government can use all the lessons it had learned from the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure that "walking pneumonia" and other respiratory illnesses do not escalate into another public health crisis.

According to Binay, Covid-19 pandemic was an eye-opener for everyone, specially to those in the public health sector.

"Sana gamitin natin ang mga lessons na napulot natin dito para ma-manage nang mabuti ang mga nakahahawang sakit at hindi na naman maging public health emergency (I hope we can use the lessons we got from the pandemic to manage infectious diseases and that it does not become a public health emergency)," Binay said.

The Department of Health (DOH) recently reported that there have been four cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, also known as “walking pneumonia," from January to November this year.

The DOH clarified that the four cases were not new and had been detected among those who got infected with influenza-like illness (ILI).

“Only 0.08 percent of the ILI cases from January to November 25 were due to M. pneumoniae. More than half of the confirmed ILI cases were due to other well-known and commonly detected pathogens,” the DOH said.

There has also been a rise in ILI cases nationwide,  with 182,721 cases recorded between Jan. 1 and Nov. 11. The figure was 51 percent higher than the 121,160 cases reported in the same period in 2022.

Binay said that given the high number of respiratory cases and another expected increase in January, the government should implement the appropriate and necessary measures to ensure the public health system is not pushed to the limit.

"Let's do the necessary things like ensuring the availability of beds, medicine,  and personnel, among others. Siguruhin natin na hindi magkaroon ng public health emergency," she said.

Binay also echoed the health department's call for the public to observe minimum public health protocols to avoid being infected with the disease, especially as the holiday season approaches.