PREVENTING another contagious disease from spreading is better than reverting to lockdown, says Health Secretary Ted Herbosa in response to calls asking the government to reconsider the idea of enjoining the public to mask-up amid recorded surges in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, commonly referred to as "walking pneumonia."
“My advice is the same, yung natutunan natin noong Covid, yung social distancing at tsaka pagsuot ng facemask top etiquette para hindi magkahawahan. Kung may sakit ang bata huwag nang papasukin para hindi makahawa ng ibang bata sa eskwelahan,” Herbosa said.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), four cases of walking pneumonia within influenza-like illnesses (ILI) have been recorded but clarified that all individuals affected by these cases have since recovered.
"Only 4 (0.08%) of the confirmed influenza-like illnesses cases from January up to November 25, 2023 were due to walking pneumonia. All these cases have recovered. More than half of confirmed ILI cases were due to other well-known and commonly detected pathogens. We have medicines that can treat M. pneumoniae; and we can easily prevent its transmission," DOH clarified.
"The DOH reassures the public that detecting M. pneumoniae is not new or unusual… This is not a notifiable disease globally. The DOH can scan but we depend on what the media or the World Health Organization (WHO) will report. So far, the only country that has recorded incidents of Mycoplasma pneumoniae is China," it added.
Public Told: Be Vigilant
Senate health committee chairman Sen. Bong Go earlier reminded locals – especially the elderly, to remain vigilant in the face of ongoing health threats. He emphasized that everyone is still at risk of contracting COVID-19 and the new bacterial infection commonly referred to as "walking pneumonia."
During a committee hearing, the senator emphasized the need to maintain health precautions, particularly the voluntary use of face masks, even as certain mandates are being relaxed.
More than COVID-19, Go also cited the threat of "walking pneumonia" as adding a new layer of complexity to public health, urging citizens to stay informed and adhere to preventive measures.
“Though hindi na po mandatory ang pagsusuot ng face mask sa ngayon, ako bilang chair po ng Committee on Health, ini engganyo ko pa rin po ang ating mga kababayan kung hindi naman po sagabal sa inyo ay magsuot pa rin ng mask. Natutuwa po ako tuwing may nakikita po akong nagsusuot pa rin po ng face mask, lalung-lalo na po yung mayroong comorbidities na maaaring mahawa,” Go said.
Learning Our Lessons
Go stressed the importance of the government being one step ahead, especially considering the experiences from the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Kaya naman the more na dapat natin tutukan ang ating health sector ngayon, the more that we should invest in our healthcare system dahil hindi ito yung huling pandemya na darating sa buhay natin. Huwag po nating hintayin na tuluyan nang bumigay ang healthcare system natin at malagay sa panganib ang buhay ng ating mga kababayan,” he urged.
“By implementing necessary health measures, the government can be more prepared to address immediate concerns and build a foundation for a resilient and responsive healthcare system that can safeguard the well-being of all Filipinos,” he quipped.
Public Health Protocols
Interestingly, infectious diseases expert Dr. Rontgene Solante said that there is no need to revive the mandatory wearing of face masks.
“We don’t need a mandatory face mask. If you remember, when we implemented this, it was born out of the reason that we didn’t want (COVID) cases to go up and for many not to get hospitalized,” Solante said in support of the DOH.
Solante stood firm that the so-called walking pneumonia is curable and the infection can be prevented by simply observing minimum public health protocols.
“For now, the hospitalization rate is really low. But to give the public an additional layer of protection, we recommend the optional wearing of a face mask,” he added.
“We need to educate the public that around this time of the year, it would be better if we use face masks.”
Shun Christmas Parties
“These are the learnings we got from COVID-19. We need to make people responsible so that if there is this kind of illness during this month we need to protect ourselves,” added the expert even as he urged those who have symptoms to skip Christmas parties and family reunions.
“We remind the public to be alert in terms of protecting themselves, especially with the coming holidays since there will be several gatherings and reunions. If you have respiratory symptoms, we discourage you from joining these gatherings.”
He however clarified that walking pneumonia is so mild to the point that a lot of these patients who have this type of pneumonia are not in the hospitals and are not so severe that they are just walking around.
No Need for Antibiotics
Unlike common coughs, colds and flu, walking pneumonia doesn’t need medication.
“Most of the time, the symptoms will just be longer like seven to 10 days and in some patients, it can really last up to two weeks, but we don’t need an antibiotic for this, that’s why people have this walking pneumonia,” he stressed.
“Because we know that being mild, they don’t need to be treated so most of the time we don’t do tests for walking pneumonia,” he added.
“Given this mild type of respiratory infection, a lot of patients will recover but there are populations like children less than five years old and those who are 65 years old and above – those we call vulnerable population, that if they get this type of pneumonia, there is a possibility that it can become severe but the chance to proceed to severe is really very low if we compare this with COVID-19 or influenza,” Solante ended.
DOTr Cautions Travelers
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista on Thursday advised travelers to wear face masks as protection amid reports of “walking pneumonia.”
Bautista, during his visit to the Philippine Coast Guard headquarters, said people traveling via sea, land and air should take necessary precaution and protect themselves from being infected with the atypical bacterial pneumonia called Mycoplasma pneumonia.
“Our passengers should exercise caution because there are already existing cases (of walking pneumonia). It is good to have our (face) masks, although the Department of Health has not issued any directive. But for the security and safety of our passengers, we would encourage them to also protect themselves,” he added.
But when asked if he would impose a “no face mask, no ride policy” inside public transportation, Bautista said such a directive should come from the DOH and not the DOTr.
COVID-19 alert, up in Quezon City
THE Quezon City government raised its early warning system to "red alert" following an increase in COVID-19 cases in the past week.
Citing reports from the Quezon City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (QCESU), Mayor Joy Belmonte disclosed a three-day case average of 27, which she said is 57.9 percent higher compared to the previous week's average.
Average positivity rate based on tests conducted stood at 14.55 percent, she added.
Additionally, the average daily attack rate per 100,000 people is at.85 and the reproduction number is 1, according to the same report.
According to QCESU chief Dr. Rolando Cruz, the rise in COVID-19 cases could be attributed to the surge in gatherings and parties in time for the Christmas season and the relaxed restrictions, which include the voluntary facemask use.
"We have seen in the past years during the height of the pandemic that holiday seasons really attract more cases. Since the chilly weather can also affect the immunity of our people, we would like to remind our 'QCitizens' to remain vigilant, especially for Covid-like symptoms such as cough, colds and fever," Cruz added.
As this developed, the local chief executive urged her constituents to be cautious, even as she suggested the wearing of masks in public places and staying indoors when experiencing symptoms.
"These are basic precautionary measures that we have been doing for the past years. It is important that we continue implementing this for our safety, especially now that cases are rising," she said.
In June 2022, QCESU introduced an early warning system to monitor cases, analyze trends, and recommend necessary measures to prevent an outbreak. Based on its parameters and the current COVID-19 data, the red status alert was raised since the growth rate has breached 50 percent and the average positivity rate is beyond five.
As of last week, there were 186 active COVID-19 cases recorded in the city.
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