Puerto Princesa City: The Provincial Health Office (PHO) in the Philippines is taking blood samples from affected indigenous community of Tagbanua in the northern Palawan town of Linapacan to verify the reported presence of Chikungunya, a viral infection with symptoms similar to dengue fever.
PHO Dr Maria Vina Crisostomo said that the office had confirmed around 54 Tagbanua patients are being monitored for Chikungunya in Barangay Calibangbang, Linapacan in the BusCuCoLin (Busuanga, Culion, Coron and Linapacan) area.
Blood samples are being collected from them by a team from the PHO to be sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM)-Manila for confirmatory testing.
“We need to confirm if the virus that is affecting them is really Chikungunya. Blood samples are now being collected by our team in Linapacan, and when they come back before the weekend, we will send the samples to the RITM,” Crisostomo said.
A team from the PHO was immediately sent to Linapacan by Governor Jose Alvarez after receiving reports that Tagbanua residents in Calibangbangan are affected by Chikungunya.
Earlier, 16 cases of Chikungunya have been reported from the town of San Vicente also in northern Palawan.
Transmitted to humans by virus-carrying Aedes mosquitoes, the Chikungunya disease is associated with high fever usually lasting for two days, followed by a prolonged arthritic pain affecting the joints of extremities that could persist for weeks, months, or in some cases years.
Agencies
