DESPITE the surging cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), the Department of Health (DOH) regional office continues to remind the public to seek immediate medical help from other diseases.
Nurse 5 Geeny Anne Austria of DOH-CAR Center for Health and Development, said although the threat of Covid-19 remains, the public should consider immediate health interventions from health facilities once they acquire the signs and symptoms of other viral diseases particularly during the rainy season.
"We have two interventions being practiced, primarily we seek the help of our Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) and actually even before the event of Covid, this was part of their training module on how to identify those that have fever and respiratory symptoms. These are syndromic or based on symptoms where we look at the early sensors that we have in the community," Austria said.
The Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) currently conducts teleconsulting, which can monitor a trend in fever or other signs and symptoms in a community, which serves as a warning.
"These are warning signs that warrant validation. When a trend is seen, this is now forwarded to us in the disease surveillance which we validate. However, up to this time, we still do not see any upsurge in other viral diseases based in the teleconsult. But our communities, our local government units can do this so that the public may be able to report these cases," Austria stated.
DOH-CAR sees the teleconsult as an example of good investment in terms of information gathering by establishing hotlines for the public to report on such emerging health cases.
"If a person experiences fever for three days and they suddenly would have difficulty, then this already warrants a medical attention to which they should proceed to the nearest health facility. We still have open sections for other sickness and diseases," Austria added.
The regional health department continues to remind possible patients and their families to strictly follow the minimum health standards of using masks, face shields, disinfectants and a like for patients to be given medical attention.
In its January 1 to August 1, 2020 disease surveillance report, 2,672 influenza-like illness suspect cases were recorded, 688 dengue cases, 604 typhoid/paratyphoid fever suspects and 469 acute bloody diarrhea.
