The COVID-19 or Corona Virus Disease has become synonymous with the year 2020. As the greatest health crisis of our lifetime, COVID-19 has taken center stage ever since the echoes of Wuhan’s shut doors reverberated across the globe.
It’s been months since the total lockdowns, and countries are slowly trying to adjust to the new normal.
What we are immediately seeing are the far-reaching economic effects of the pandemic—lost jobs, permanently shuttered businesses, and displaced workers. (The Philippines, according to the Asian Development Bank, is set to contract 7.3% this year.)
But besides the nation’s economic life, also of prime importance are the health and well-being of the Filipino nation. The Department of Health, tasked with safeguarding every Pinoy, might just have to deal with more gloomy figures other than the daily COVID numbers cranked out in daily press briefings. Here’s why...
Because of COVID, all the other communicable diseases have taken an ominous backseat. The pandemic has not only absorbed hundreds of billions of the public budget, it has also realigned the government’s public health priorities.
As a result, we could see a resurgence of preventable diseases like measles, diphtheria, polio, HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. Many of these, affect children—especially those belonging to low-income communities.
Constant And Continuing Threats
Last April 24-30, the Philippines and the world celebrated the “World Immunization Week.”
Unfortunately, at that point, the nation was on Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), effectively barring the massive immunization drives regularly conducted by the government. Health workers were busy serving as “frontliners” in the fight against COVID-19. Parents, for their part, have understandably become averse to the idea of bringing children to health centers absent any medical emergency.
The effect is that we have a cohort of the population who have not received their immunizations. UNICEF has reported that because of COVID, as many as 2 million children could miss out on their life-saving vaccinations—making them vulnerable to highly communicable diseases—at a time when the health ministry’s precious attention is on COVID.
But it’s not as if the Philippines has been stellar when it comes to preventing preventable diseases. Even before the pandemic, the country was already experiencing falling immunization rates. Coverage was at 87% in 2014, by 2019, it was already down to 68%.
A measles outbreak last year (2019) saw a 130% increase in cases from 2018. Polio, once thought eradicated from the archipelago, reemerged September of last year.
In 2019, the country also suffered its worst dengue outbreak in years, claiming a thousand lives.
(COVID, it can be said, has merely hastened and amplified the developments already afoot in the Philippines.)
The COVID-19 pandemic is loud—demanding public attention and financial muscle. With all the noise COVID-19 is getting, preventable diseases have slowly crept into the picture. Here are some of the diseases that could potentially stage small epidemics of their own:
Polio
September 19 of 2019, the Philippines announced a polio outbreak after a 3-year old girl tested positive in Lanao del Sur. After this, 15 more cases have been confirmed. It was previously thought that the disease has been stamped out of the country. The last known case was in 1993, and in the year 2000, the World Health Organization has declared the Philippines polio-free.
Polio, short for poliomyelitis, is a debilitating and life-threatening disease caused by a virus that attacks the brain and the spinal cord. Over 70% of the cases are asymptomatic. The rest will present flu-like symptoms that include fever, nausea, and headache. One in every 200 will experience paralysis in the arms and legs, which could lead to permanent disability.
The government has restarted its Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio vaccination program since July.
Measles
In 2019, there were 466 deaths in the 33,000 recorded cases in what was considered one of the world’s worst measles outbreaks.
Measles is another one of those diseases thought to have been nearly eradicated from these islands. Fifteen years ago, measles on was on its last legs. But poor sanitary practices as well as a newfound doubt with government vaccine programs (due to the Dengvaxia incident) has allowed measles to mount a serious comeback.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease. Its telltale sign is the red rash that often starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. The virus also causes fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, red eyes, and white spots inside the mouth.
Measles can be transmitted through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs where the air sacs are filled with fluid. A variety of bacteria and viruses are known to cause the condition. Symptoms include fever, cough, chest pain, and shortness of breath. It affects both young and old, and is contagious.
According to Dr. Wilda Silva, director of the National Immunization Program of the Department of Health, pneumonia is the number one killer of children aged 5 and below.
The government needs to get ahead of communicable diseases like pneumonia for which we already have known effective vaccines.
Rainy Day Diseases
As the country is in the wet and cold months of the year, besides the common colds and coughs, people should also be on the lookout for rapidly-spreading concomitant diseases.
In the rainy season, mosquito-borne conditions like dengue are a constant threat. Puddles and collected water become breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti mosquito which are the vectors for dengue.
In addition, heavy rains can cause flooding, which in turn can contaminate food and water sources. When harmful bacteria like Salmonella typhi and Vibrio cholerae are ingested through contaminated food and water, they can cause typhoid and cholera respectively.
These are infections of the gastrointestinal tract attended by diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and general body weakness. Typhoid and cholera can lead to dehydration and in worse cases, even death.
Again, most susceptible are those in poor, urban communities, where sanitation and hygiene are continuing challenges.
Lockdown-lifestyle Diseases
It’s been months since people have been under the threat and stress of COVID. The constant strain has led to a familiar, unhealthy lifestyle.
While in lockdown—consuming processed food, canned goods, combined with a lack of physical exertions can lead to conditions like obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Sitting in front of the television or the computer, watching negative news reports, or “doomscrolling” on your phone places enormous stress on one’s mental and emotional well-being.
Many have resorted to stress eating as a way to cope with the pandemic. “Quarantine 15,” referring to the number of pounds one puts on for overeating has entered modern lexicon. The unhealthy diet is often paired with the absence of exercise. The duo, practiced over months, becomes a lifestyle that ironically, weakens the immune system and puts people at a greater risk for COVID.
Undiagnosed Diseases
Finally, because of COVID, people have chosen to stay away from clinics and hospitals—with many opting to defer doctor visits, diagnostic examinations, and medical procedures like surgery.
People have decided to endure their ailments and bear their symptoms. The danger is that all this time, the disease is progressing inside the body. What might otherwise have been checked by a competent doctor, and arrested before getting worse, is now having free rein in the body.
A disease, left alone, can lead to harmful complications that deal more damage later.
The indirect effects of the pandemic on this front remain to be seen.
So those are just some of the diseases to watch out for. While one should ever be vigilant and not lose sight of COVID-19, one should also keep a sure eye on all the other communicable diseases that continually and consistently threaten the Filipino nation and family.
Bloodworks Lab, as a testing institution, is keenly aware of the need for catching medical conditions early. So we offer the full range of blood tests—from screening tests, immunological tests to neurological tests.
In this time of the pandemic, we understand and share your worries. To ensure the health and well-being of our clients and staff, we strictly adhere to the protocols provided by the Department of Health, IATF, and the World Health Organization. Bloodworks is committed to upholding the highest safety standards for every client who walks through our doors.
Bloodworks Lab testing services are available at our centers in Katipunan, Alabang, and Cebu.
We also provide home services. Call to book an appointment.