BY CARLA GOMEZ  (www.visayandailystar.com)

A Research Institute for Tropical Medicine test yesterday confirmed that one of the two American missionaries earlier confined at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City was positive for Influenza A(H1N1), Health Regional Director Ariel Valencia said.

Found positive for H1N1 was a 20-year-old male from San Diego, California, who was released from the CLMMRH after recovering from fever on June 15.

The test results of the 53-year-old American missionary who was the companion of the 20-year-old has not been released by the RITM yet, regional epidemiologist, Dr. Jessie Glen Alonsabe, said yesterday.

The 53-year-old was released from the hospital on June 16.

The two Americans, who arrived in the Philippines on June 9, developed fever while in Bacolod on June 12 and were hospitalized on June 14.

The confirmation of the 20-year-old brings to six the number of H1N1 positive cases in Western Visayas, four of which were in Bacolod City, one in Iloilo, and one in Capiz.

All confirmed H1N1 patients are now doing well and under medication. They no longer have any fever, a DOH Region 6 report said.

Close contacts were also placed under close observation for signs of influenza. Contact-tracing is of other contacts are being done by local government health personnel in coordination with the Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams, it added.

The mother of two young boys found positive for H1N1 in Bacolod City earlier is coughing and a specimen was taken from her to determine if she has the virus, too, a health official said.

43 COUs

As of yesterday 14 new Cases Under Observation (CUO) for H1N1 were reported in Western Visayas bringing the total to  43 , six of which were positive for H1N1,  Valencia said.

Fourteen had negative results and were discharged, while 23 have pending laboratory results and are still under close monitoring, he said.

Of the 43 CUOs Iloilo had 24, Negros – 15, Aklan – 2, and Capiz – 2.

The DOH also reported that 21 were males and 22 females, and that 35 were Filipinos and eight were foreigners.

NAT’L LEVEL

On the national level, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III yesterday said that the total count of H1N1 cases was 344.

“All of these 344 confirmed cases were mild in nature, both those who are currently under treatment, and those who have been sent home,” Duque said.

“Although it is true that for now the novel virus seems to be causing only mild illness, we still should not be too complacent and let our guard down. We should continue to be vigilant as we, in the government, continue to monitor if there are any changes in its trends and patterns,” Duque stressed.

Duque also said that most of the 344 confirmed cases are from Metro Manila with 234 or 68 percent.*CPG