Health Alert - U.S. Embassy Manila (October 9, 2019)

[Gary D]

1 hour ago, Tukaram (Tim) said:

Wrong immunization. Polio is an oral med.

Perhaps they used a very long spoon.

[jimeve]

53 minutes ago, Gary D said:

Perhaps they used a very long spoon.

I got it, took a few seconds.

[GeoffH]

11 hours ago, jimeve said:

I got it, took a few seconds.

Well yes... being a long spoon it would take a while. 

[Arizona Kid]

On 10/10/2019 at 9:08 PM, Guy F. said:

The latest word on prostate cancer is that it's generally very slow-growing and the treatment is sometimes worse than the disease. Sorry I don't have time to look up citations. I'll be relying on the Prostate Specific Antibodies blood test rather than Finger In the Ass, and even with elevated PSA level I'll be wary of treatment.

You may or not believe this. I don't care whether you do or not. I started taking a tablespoon of cayenne pepper in a glass of water 2 times a day 3 years ago for about a month. Went from having to get up and pee at night from 6 or so times to about 2.  

[Guy F.]

2 hours ago, Arizona Kid said:

You may or not believe this. I don't care whether you do or not. I started taking a tablespoon of cayenne pepper in a glass of water 2 times a day 3 years ago for about a month. Went from having to get up and pee at night from 6 or so times to about 2.  

Interesting. I'll tell my brother who has been getting up every hour and a half. I've found that jamming a thumb into my bladder area while peeing will promote better drainage and thereby increase elapsed time between drainings.

Edited October 14, 2019 by Guy F.

[Arizona Kid]

20 hours ago, Guy F. said:

Interesting. I'll tell my brother who has been getting up every hour and a half. I've found that jamming a thumb into my bladder area while peeing will promote better drainage and thereby increase elapsed time between drainings.

I noticed that if I sat down in my favorite chair for 5 min. or so before I peed I would get a lot more drainage. Haven't tried the thumb thing but might tonight.

[Mike J]

15 hours ago, Arizona Kid said:

I noticed that if I sat down in my favorite chair for 5 min. or so before I peed I would get a lot more drainage. Haven't tried the thumb thing but might tonight.

You did not mention if you get up from the chair prior to peeing?  Curious minds want to know.  

[Yeochief]

For any prior U.S. Military go to the following site to request your medical records:  https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records

[Tommy T.]

Here is an update from MSN about polio... This is not looking good for Filipinos. Hope all of you have had the polio booster shot:

The Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed the fourth polio case in the Philippines on Tuesday evening.

The DOH, in a press statement, did not provide details of the case, just that the patient is from Mindanao.

"The test conducted by our Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and the Institute of Infectious Diseases- Japan confirms the fourth polio case in the country," Health Secretary Francisco Duque said in the statement.

The DOH is currently spearheading a vaccination campaign for children below five years of age in the municipalities where the third and fourth polio cases were discovered. 

The DOH will be administering the next round of polio vaccinations in Mindanao from November 25 to December 8.

"We can defeat polio, but we need the public to trust and actively participate in our immunization programs," Duque said.

The health department reminds the public that the best prevention to polio is vaccination.

"The (polio) virus is transmitted through the oral-fecal route. Handwashing will also help in the prevention."

It was in September that the agency confirmed the re-emergence of polio in the country with its first case in Lanao del Sur. The Philippines had been polio-free for 19 years. 

[Tommy T.]

Another update today regarding polio from MSNBC:

MANILA, Philippines — A nine-year-old girl from Basilan became the eighth confirmed case of polio in the country, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said yesterday.

Duque said the girl’s condition was validated by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases of Japan.

“The latest confirmed case is a nine-year-old girl from Basilan who has not received any vaccine for polio. We are now coordinating with Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao-Ministry of Health to maximize immunization coverage and intensify polio vaccination effort in Basilan,” Duque said.

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He issued the announcement as the Department of Health (DOH) started yesterday the third round of anti-polio mass vaccination activities in Metro Manila and Mindanao.

The DOH is targeting to vaccinate some 1.27 million and 5.2 million children in Metro Manila and Mindanao, respectively.

The program aims to immunize five-year-old children, regardless of whether they received previous immunization or not.

The agency will give a dose of oral polio vaccine (OPV) until Dec. 7.

Duque assured the public of enough stock of OPV for the immunization drive.

“We are convincing parents to let their children have a complete vaccination against this fatal disease... No investment is needed, except to walk to the health centers or pay a small fare to make sure that their children are protected,” he said, adding that while children below five years old are most vulnerable to polio, it is “not rare” to see older ones contracting the disease.

Duque said the discovery of the latest polio case is a product of “active surveillance” for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) which can be caused by polio, among other illnesses.

“What we’re seeing today is result of heightened and much more improved surveillance capability of RITM, DOH and Bureau of Quarantine,” he added.

Duque said that while the priority of the mass immunization activities are children below five years old, health workers will not turn away older children if they are submitted for vaccination.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is assisting the health department in implementing the mass immunization activities against polio by sending out personnel who will administer the oral vaccine to at least 100,000 children.

Trained staff and volunteers of PRC have been dispatched in various parts of Metro Manila and Mindanao for the DOH’s 2nd Round of “Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio” from Nov. 25 to Dec. 7, according to PRC chairman Sen. Richard Gordon.

Gordon said the vaccinators would conduct house to house visits to ensure that every child will be given OPV.

During the immunization activities last month, PRC vaccinators reached a total of 62,843 children, double its original target of 30,000.