Philippines remains swine flu free, chairs Asean+3 health summit on A(H1N1)

May 20 2009 Published by Joey Alarilla under Uncategorized

Here’s an excerpt from my latest CNET Asia blog post.

The Philippines, which thankfully still has no cases of influenza A(H1N1) a.k.a. swine flu after a baby suspected of being infected with the virus tested negative, is batting for greater regional cooperation to combat the potential pandemic.

Philippine health secretary Francisco Duque III chaired the Asean+3 summit on May 8 in Bangkok. This saw a turnout of health ministers from the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and their counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea.

Read the full story.

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Too much media hype on Swine Flu?

May 01 2009 Published by Joey Alarilla under Uncategorized

Do you think there’s too much media hype and people are overreacting to Swine Flu?

I really think people should chill out and put things in perspective. It’s like the end of the world, the way some media outlets report it, and I think sensationalizing the news just causes people to panic.

Here’s an interactive map giving a global update on Swine Flu, which I found through Manuel L. Quezon III’s tweet.

Navigate your way to the Philippines and mouse over it, and you’ll read this update:

Philippines: 0 cases of swine flu

Actions taken:
The Philippine health chief appealed to dozens of Filipino legislators to abandon plans to visit Las Vegas to cheer for boxing idol Manny Pacquiao, even though Las Vegas is more than 300 miles from the Mexican border.

D’oh!

Here’s a poll. Vote now!


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