CLINICAL MATTERS In my last column I spoke about our visit to the magical blue city of Chefchaouen in the Rif mountains of Morocco where Jewish refugees expelled from Europe were welcomed to settle. From Chefchaouen, our travels next brought us to the eternal city of Fes. Fes, or Fez as it is...
CLINICAL MATTERS It has been nearly four years since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and some people are getting a bit nervous because many people are testing positive for Covid-19 again. The latest Department of Health (DOH) report showed a 50 percent increase in confirmed Covid-19 cases. If we...
CLINICAL MATTERS A couple of weeks ago, a good friend from my infectious diseases fellowship days in the United States sent me a link to a post about an “undiagnosed pneumonia outbreak” in China. She was quite distraught and said she couldn’t handle another pandemic. I looked over the link...
CLINICAL MATTERS Every year on December 1 is World AIDS day, during which people from around the world come together to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity against this deadly disease. It has been 40 years since the virus that causes Acquired Immune...
CLINICAL MATTERS Before the arrival of effective vaccines, Covid-19 treatment was the only thing doctors could offer patients who were infected with SARS-CoV-2. At the start of the pandemic, the mortality rate for those in the vulnerable population who developed Covid-19 was 10 percent or more. One...
CLINICAL MATTERS Living in the tropics, most Filipinos are familiar with the two big mosquito borne illnesses—dengue and malaria. But there are many other infectious diseases borne by mosquitoes that infect a significant number of Filipinos every year. These diseases include Chinkungunya,...
GUEST COLUMNIST By MAYOR FRANCIS ZAMORA The barangay is the most basic political unit in the Philippines. Its concept dates back long before the Spaniards came to our country. It originated from the word “balangay”, the traditional boat used by early Filipino settlers who built their...
CLINICAL MATTERS In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the dangers of health misinformation and included it among the top global health threats. Vaccine hesitancy has left millions of children without proper protection against deadly but preventable diseases. Every day, thousands...
CLINICAL MATTERS Three years ago, any cough or cold symptoms generated a lot of anxiety, dread, and panic since there was a big possibility it was Covid-19. Prior to the discovery of effective treatment and widespread vaccination, the risk of dying from Covid-19 could be as high as 10 percent,...
CLINICAL MATTERS The University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health’s (UP-NIH) recent win at a prestigious international competition in the US serves as a strong reminder that the Philippine government continues to support relevant health research in the Philippines. The double...
GUEST COLUMNIST By Mayor Francis Zamora Historically, a caravan is a group of people or a company of travelers, particularly traders or pilgrims traveling together from one place to another to transport their goods or go to a place of worship. We can also see biblical references to...
CLINICAL MATTERS When I returned to the Philippines as a Balik Scientist in 2009, little did I know I would be playing a major role in fighting HIV in our country. When I graduated from medical school at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Medicine in 2001, I knew very little...
