Flu cases in Metro Manila climbed by 22 percent in October compared to the previous month, the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID) bared.
In its Flu Task Force Report released on Oct. 25, PSMID said a total of 2,028 influenza cases were recorded in October, up from September’s figures.
It noted that the test positivity rate remained high at 43 percent, showing that a substantial proportion of those tested were confirmed to have influenza.
“Of the confirmed cases in October, 98 percent were identified as Influenza A,” the report stated.
It can be recalled that Dr. Rontgene Solante, one of the country’s leading infectious disease experts, earlier warned against Influenza A, noting that it is the strain most likely to cause severe pneumonia and hospitalization, especially among the elderly and individuals with chronic illnesses.
The association said the surveillance reports were collected from five tertiary hospitals, including Makati Medical Center, The Medical City, Chinese General Hospital, the Philippine General Hospital, and St. Luke’s Medical Center–Global City.
According to PSMID, flu testing in these facilities was conducted using rapid antigen test kits or multiplex PCR assays.