CLINICAL MATTERS One of the most sought-after vaccines in medicine is the HIV vaccine. When HIV was first discovered in 1981, scientists were optimistic that they would be able to develop a vaccine in a few years. More than 40 years later and after millions of people have died from AIDS, an...
CLINICAL MATTERS Each year, Oct. 27 is designated as National Mentoring Day in celebration of the importance of mentors in our lives. As an infectious diseases doctor, I’ve had many excellent role models and mentors who have shaped me as the physician and scientist I am today. This is especially...
CLINICAL MATTERS One of the most common questions that I get in clinic from patients is, “Doc, what can I take to boost my immune system?” The intent of the question is to ask for supplements which can benefit the immune response and ward off illnesses. Lay people expect that, aside from their...
CLINICAL MATTERS As an infectious diseases doctor, my job is usually to kill worms and parasites. However, even I will admit that worms can be useful. This year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine/Physiology was awarded to a pair of American scientists for their work on a worm, the nematode (a type of...
CLINICAL MATTERS Many people know Dr. Willie Ong for his popular medical posts which are easy to understand and very informative for the general public. Recently, he announced that he had cancer – an inoperable sarcoma in his chest – for which he was receiving his second cycle of chemotherapy....
Even as mpox clade 1b takes center stage from Covid-19, new SARS-CoV-2 variants are constantly being generated as it continues to circulate in the community. It is expected that Covid-19 will eventually settle into a seasonal pattern, although new novel lineages can cause spikes in cases at any...
CLINICAL MATTERS Recently, a paper in the prestigious scientific journal Lancet highlighted the growing threat of drug-resistant microorganisms to humanity. It has gotten to a point where it can be described as a global emergency with no easy fix. The paper emphasized that even with proper...
CLINICAL MATTERS Last month, the Department of Health warned that dengue had reached outbreak levels. In addition, the number of cases from Jan. to Aug. 2024 exceeded the 2023 levels by 33 percent for the same period, with nearly 400 deaths reported. Dengue remains hyperendemic in the Philippines,...
CLINICAL MATTERS A few weeks ago, a medical intern set social media ablaze for all the wrong reasons. She posted a TikTok video of her experience at a public hospital while performing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on a patient. The backlash was instant and massive. She got called out for...
As more cases of Monkeypox are reported locally, it seems that we can’t catch a break from new and reemerging diseases. Aside from the prodigious ability of viruses to mutate, one major reason behind this accelerated increase in outbreaks is the continued encroachment of human settlements into...
The recent announcement of a new Filipino mpox case last Aug. 19, 2024 so close to the declaration of a new PHEIC (public health emergency of international concern) by the World Health Organization triggered fears of another round of lockdowns and pandemic precautions. Health...
Children suffering from mpox receive treatment at a clinic in Munigi, eastern Congo (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa) By DR EDSEL SALVANA On Aug. 14, 2024, the World Health Organization declared a new Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) due to an outbreak of mpox...
