Cebu City (7 July) -- Though the Influenza A/H1N1 virus circulating in the Philippines may have mild effects on the people but this could change given the evolution of the virus as the possibility of a community transmission is not discounted, this is the observation made by a representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) during an emergency meeting among members of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) today on the A/H1N1 Flu.

Qui Yi Khut, WHO pandemic planning officer told over 50 RDCC members there is a need for government to allocate resources and strengthen preparedness of health personnel on quick response strategies in case of a community outbreak in order to reduce the number of preventable deaths.

The Philippines has now a total of 1,709 cases of Influenza A/H1N1 and has one of the highest numbers of cases of the new flu virus in Southeast Asia with one recorded death since the first case was detected last May.

Khut said more than 100 countries worldwide are now affected reporting cases of human infection of the new flu virus as the WHO raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of the virus. A Phase 6 alert indicates that a global pandemic is underway, this is learned.

Department of Health (DOH-7) Regional Director Dr. Susana Madarieta bared that for Central Visayas, the situation is still manageable with no community transmission as they have traced all contact exposure to those tested positive to the flu virus in the region but that "we must be prepared for an eventual community transmission."

As of today, Central Visayas has reported 43 positive cases of the new flu virus while 52 cases await lab results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) while 237 cases are under observation and 142 cases tested negative.

Cebu has the biggest number of confirmed cases in the region with 40 or about 85 percent while Bohol has two positive cases and Negros Oriental with one case, according to Dr. Cora-Lou Kintanar, DOH-7 Pandemic Influenza Incident Command spokesperson.

Kintanar in her presentation on the Regional Updates on A/H1N1 said 90 percent of those tested positive with the novel flu virus are Filipinos while other nationalities with one each are American, Japanese, Australian and Canadian.

Most of those that were infected with the new flu virus in the region are males with 72 percent while age range of those commonly affected are between 16 to 20 years old, the DOH-7 report said.

The emergency meeting was called for concerned agencies to map out a Regional Mitigation Strategic Plan where the output would serve as a basis in succeeding guidelines of the DOH in response to the A/H1N1 health threat, this is said.

Madarieta said Central Visayas is one of the four regions nationwide that is simultaneously conducting a two-day Regional Mitigation Strategic Plan with representation from the WHO.

Each region will come up with its own mitigation plan against the Influenza A/H1N1 as the second batch will include Western Mindanao and Calabarzon, Madarieta claimed.

Khut said that even if the effects of the Influenza A/H1N1 among the Filipinos are mild with over 90 percent of the cases fully recovering but the risk lies in the large number of vulnerable population in a developing country like the Philippines that could trigger a community outbreak which makes advance planning in mitigation measures against such possibility extremely crucial.

Khut cited vulnerable groups that are high in the country including pregnant women, poor people with lack of access to quality healthcare, very young people and people with low immune system such as those with underlying conditions such as tuberculosis, asthma, pneumonia, diabetes, and heart ailments among others.