Health and Lifestyle

Vaccinating 9-year-old girls may curb cervical cancer cases

Vaccinating 9-year-old girls may curb cervical cancer cases

June 20, 2019, 8:17 pm

MANILA -- Vaccinating nine-year-old girls against human papillomavirus (HPV) could curb the increasing cases of cervical cancer nationwide, a health expert said on Thursday. Dr. Erwin de Mesa, president of Philippine Infectious Disease Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology, said 99 percent of… Read More

Health experts say routine immunizations save lives

Health experts say routine immunizations save lives

June 20, 2019, 7:22 pm

MANILA -- Health experts on Thursday stressed the importance of routine immunizations for children and how they provide protection against life-threatening diseases from birth to adulthood. "Maraming sakit na nakamamatay lalo na sa mga bagong panganak at sa mga bata na maaaring maiwasan… Read More

Lower birth weights due to ‘clean diesel tech’, increased asthma

Lower birth weights due to ‘clean diesel tech’, increased asthma

June 20, 2019, 3:27 pm

CHICAGO – United States researchers recently linked more than 600,000 cars billed as having "clean diesel technology" sold in the US between 2008 and 2015 to lower birth weights in approximately 38,600 children. The additional pollution from the exhaust of these cars was also associated with an… Read More

Looking closer: Curbing the increasing rate of myopia

Looking closer: Curbing the increasing rate of myopia

June 20, 2019, 9:37 am

MANILA -- Look closely and you see everything. Look from a distance and you see nothing. This is the ordeal people with myopia or nearsightedness have to face everyday. However, there is a way to delay the development of this disorder, especially among children -- through getting outdoors and… Read More

Fear of new foods may up heart disease, diabetes risk

Fear of new foods may up heart disease, diabetes risk

June 19, 2019, 9:15 pm

LONDON -- Food neophobia --or fear of new foods-- may lower the quality of a person's dietary intake, and increase the risk of lifestyle disorders such as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Food neophobia is an eating behavior trait in which a person refuses to taste and eat food items,… Read More

Dengue cases up 253% in Negros Oriental

Dengue cases up 253% in Negros Oriental

June 19, 2019, 5:26 pm

DUMAGUETE CITY -- The total number of dengue cases in Negros Oriental from January 1st to June 15 this year rose by more than 200 percent compared to the same period of last year, with cases still expected to rise in the coming months. As of latest count from the Department of Health (DOH)-Negros… Read More

PhilHealth revokes WellMed's accreditation

PhilHealth revokes WellMed's accreditation

June 18, 2019, 3:42 pm

MANILA -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on Tuesday said it has revoked the accreditation of WellMed Dialysis Center and Laboratory Corporation (WellMed) following the fraudulent claims for dialysis services filed on behalf of its deceased patients. In a statement, the… Read More

Dengue claims 3 lives in Antique this year

Dengue claims 3 lives in Antique this year

June 18, 2019, 12:20 pm

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The dreaded mosquito-borne disease, Dengue hemorrhagic fever, has already claimed three lives in the province this year. In a media interview Monday, Integrated Provincial Health officer, Dr. Ric Noel Naciongayo, said a nine-year-old girl from Culasi town proper… Read More

Duque belies Lacson's allegation of OWWA funds misuse

Duque belies Lacson's allegation of OWWA funds misuse

June 14, 2019, 2:42 pm

MANILA -- Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Friday belied the claim of Senator Panfilo Lacson, accusing him of misusing the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) funds. On Thursday, Lacson tweeted that he reminded President Rodrigo Duterte of Duque's involvement in the… Read More

DOH sounds alarm over increasing HIV prevalence among young men

DOH sounds alarm over increasing HIV prevalence among young men

June 13, 2019, 6:11 pm

HIV-AIDS AWARENESS. Ms. Mary Joy Morin, Technical Officer of the Department of Health, discusses updates on the implementation of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Communication Plan for 2017-2020 and the LHIVE Free Campaign using the Internet… Read More

Chinese monitoring device may help doctors treat strokes quickly

Chinese monitoring device may help doctors treat strokes quickly

June 13, 2019, 5:02 pm

WASHINGTON -- Chinese researchers have developed a device that uses near-infrared light to diagnose poor blood flow in a non-invasive way, which provides a tool for doctors to treat strokes more quickly. The study, published on Tuesday in the AIP Advances, a journal of American Institute of… Read More

DOH advocates voluntary blood donation

DOH advocates voluntary blood donation

June 11, 2019, 8:41 pm

MANILA -- The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday urged the public to take part in its campaign for voluntary and unpaid blood donation which is an integral part of universal health care (UHC). "Blood transfusion saves millions of lives every year. It is needed in most medical procedures,… Read More

38 daily cases of HIV may affect blood supply quality: Gordon

38 daily cases of HIV may affect blood supply quality: Gordon

June 11, 2019, 7:41 pm

MANILA -- Philippine Red Cross (PRC) chairperson and Senator Richard Gordon on Tuesday said the increasing number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases this year could affect the supply of quality blood products nationwide. According to the Department of Health's (DOH) latest HIV registry,… Read More

Duque urges PhilHealth stakeholders not to defraud system

Duque urges PhilHealth stakeholders not to defraud system

June 11, 2019, 5:42 pm

MANILA -- Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Tuesday appealed to stakeholders of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) not to engage in any activity that would defraud its system. In a press briefing, Duque said there are many ways by which health care providers and professionals… Read More

Public warned vs. purchasing meds online

Public warned vs. purchasing meds online

June 11, 2019, 3:01 pm

MANILA -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday warned the public on the significant risks associated with increased sales of medicines online. In a statement, the FDA said the purchase of medicines through the internet may lead to "serious side effects and health problems" if they are… Read More

Alleged P154-B overpayments are 'efficiency gains': PhilHealth

Alleged P154-B overpayments are 'efficiency gains': PhilHealth

June 8, 2019, 1:51 pm

MANILA -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on Saturday clarified that the alleged overpayments made in its claims amounting to PHP154 billion in the past six years are efficiency gains, a feature in the case rates payment system that the agency is implementing. In a… Read More

Biomarker predicts which pancreatic cysts may become cancerous

Biomarker predicts which pancreatic cysts may become cancerous

June 6, 2019, 4:46 pm

CHICAGO -- Testing fluid from cysts for a biomarker, an antibody called mAb Das-1, a research team led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified pancreatic cysts that likely become cancerous with 95 percent accuracy, as against current clinical… Read More

Group urges vigilance on tobacco tax hike implementation

Group urges vigilance on tobacco tax hike implementation

June 5, 2019, 7:18 pm

MANILA -- Health advocates on Wednesday urged the public to be vigilant on the implementation of the higher tobacco tax bill. "We are happy on the approval of increased tobacco tax because it would decrease the number of new smokers and the Universal Health Care (UHC) program would have additional… Read More

Tobacco tax hike bill to save lives of 200K Filipinos

Tobacco tax hike bill to save lives of 200K Filipinos

June 5, 2019, 5:53 pm

MANILA -- Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Wednesday the approval of a bill raising the tobacco excise tax would save the lives of 200,000 Filipinos from the ill effects of smoking. "We are one step closer to enacting this bill that seeks higher tobacco excise taxes into law. On behalf of… Read More

EU vows continued support for PH's health projects

EU vows continued support for PH's health projects

June 4, 2019, 1:53 pm

MANILA -- The European Union (EU) on Monday expressed its continued support to the Philippines to achieving universal health care (UHC) through its partnership with the World Health Organization. In his speech at the EU Health Programs presentation in Manila, EU Ambassador Dr. Franz Jessen said… Read More