- Details
- Category: Region 9
Dogs and cats are man’s best friend. They bring joy and vitality to the household of their owners and it is dreading to know that the pets you adore might be a threat to the lives of your household members or to other people. A dog or cat bite might be infected with rabies and a lot of people are unaware of the risks from this deadly disease. As a response to the lack of awareness on rabies, by virtue of Executive Order No. 84 series of 1999, yearly the month of March is declared as Rabies Awareness Month with the theme “Rabies ay iwasan. Alagang aso’t pusa ay pabakunahan”. This year’s theme focuses on the importance of vaccinating the pets against rabies and educating the public of the risks of this disease to obtain a rabies-free country.
As defined by World Health Organization (WH0), rabies is an infectious viral disease that is fatal which affects the nerves and brain. It spreads to people through bites or scratches of an infected animal. Transmission of rabies may occur when the infectious material usually from saliva comes into direct contact with the victim’s fresh skin lesions. According to the Department of Health, rabies is estimated to cause 55, 000 deaths yearly worldwide, with about 56% of the cases occurring in Asia and 43.6% in Africa. In 2019, a total of 32,661 cases of people being bitten by animals were recorded in Zamboanga Peninsula between January and September: 12,101 of which were from Zamboanga City; 7,473 from Zamboanga del Norte; 6,141 from Zamboanga del Sur; 5,893 from Zamboanga Sibugay and 1,053 were from Isabela City.
- Details
- Category: Region 9
Our colon is the absorber of water and salt from the remaining food residue after it passes through the small intestine. The waste products that are left after it goes through the colon proceeds to the rectum where it is stored until it passes out of the body through the anus. Any blockage or obstruction such as polyps in the colon or rectum would affect the process of digestion of food in the body which may result discomfort to an individual. To emphasize the importance of the colon and rectum in the body, March of every year is observed as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month that aims to provide better understanding of colorectal cancer and create awareness about the importance of its early detection and cure.
Cancer starts when cells in the body start to grow out of control. Cells in any part of the body can become cancer, and can spread to the other areas of the body. Colorectal cancer (CRC) or also known as colon or rectal cancer depending where the cancer starts, is a type of cancer when there is growth or polyps in the inner lining of the colon or rectum, or may spread to both. Most common symptoms that can be seen in an individual with CRC are changes in bowel habits, diarrhea or constipation, blood in feces making stools look black, pain and bloating in the abdomen, fatigue, unexplained weight loss and iron deficiency in men and women after menopause. According to the recent data from the Philippine Society of Gastroenterology, there are over 3,000 new cases of colorectal cancer among Filipinos annually, of these 3,000, over 2,000 Filipinos die based on the reported cases.
Read more: Have Yourself Checked: A Way to Fight Colorectal Cancer!
- Details
- Category: Region 9
By virtue of Republic Act 6949, March of every year is celebrated as National Women’s Month to promote women empowerment and gender equality. The theme “We Make Change Work for Women” is the annual theme for the year 2017-2022. It emphasizes that women should be empowered to have equal rights to livelihood opportunities, no discrimination in employment careers, fair treatment before the law, and be the contributors of development. Moreover, the National Nutrition Council Regional Office IX joins this celebration through the promotion of good nutrition and healthy lifestyle for every woman.
Balanced diet and healthy lifestyle are the key foundations of a healthy human being. Women have special nutrient needs that during each stage of a woman’s life: from adolescence, child bearing age, pregnant, lactating and menopausal age- those needs also changes, but the basics of women's health remain the same. In order to maintain and live a healthy lifestyle, here are some guides for every woman:
- Details
- Category: Region 9
“
Walang nanay ang dapat namamatay habang nagbibigay ng buhay.” (No mother should die while giving birth). This was the powerful statement made by Dr. Emilia P. Monicimpo, Regional Director of Department of Health (DOH) Region IX on 05 March 2020 during her 1st ever State of the DOH Regional Address (SODOHRA) held at Grand Astoria Hotel, Zamboanga City which was attended by Local Chief Executives (LCEs), heads of agencies, other leaders, and officers. Key personalities like Undersecretary Abdullah B. Dumama and POPCOM Executive Director Juan Antonio A. Perez were the special guests during the occasion. Dr. Monicimpo relayed in her speech DOH Region IX’s achievements and strategies in the health system of the region. Likewise, she also mentioned difficult challenges in the region, one of which is the high prevalence of stunting. She called on to the Local Government Units (LGUs) to look into this problem.
Dr. Monicimpo was inspired to share her experiences when she was still the Municipal Health Officer (MHO) in providing the best health care services to the communities. She said she had the opportunity and the privilege to visit three families, two of which of maternal deaths, and one family of three members who were diagnosed with tuberculosis. To make the story short, one maternal death was caused by the refusal of rural health workers to accept the mother when she is about to give birth and the other was caused by poor relay of information by the health worker. While under these circumstances, Dr. Monicimpo reminded the health workers to be careful on how they communicate and to show compassion despite all the stress. It is still the responsibility of the health workers to educate and properly communicate correct information to their clients for them to understand and abide by the process.
Read more: NNC RO IX joins 1st ever State of the DOH Regional Address (SODOHRA)
- Details
- Category: Region 9
The Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation Protocol (MELLPI Pro) of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) is used for monitoring and evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of the planning, implementation, and management of nutrition and nutrition-related programs of the LGUs and their corresponding nutrition workers. MELLPI Pro replaces the traditional MELLPI used from the early ‘80s. The new MELLPI Pro considers the following elements: Vision and Mission, Nutrition Policies and Laws, Governance and Organizational Structure, Local Nutrition Committee Management Functions, and Nutrition Intervention and Services.
On 28 February 2020, the NNC RO IX, headed by OIC NPC Nimfa D. Ekong joined the 1st Quarter City Nutrition Committee Meeting of Isabela City, Basilan to orient the members of the City Nutrition Committee (CNC) on the MELLPI Pro. CNC members from the LGU of Isabela City composed of the City Nutrition Action Officer (CNAO), focal persons from DILG, DepEd, CDRRMO, CSWDO, City Budget Office, PIA, CHO, City Population Office, DXNO, and City Agricultural Office were present during the meeting.
Read more: NNC RO IX joins 1st Quarter City Nutrition Committee Meeting at Isabela City, Basilan
- Details
- Category: Region 9
On March 6, 2020 the Department of Health-CHD IX with the National Nutrition Council RO IX conducted an Orientation on the Nutrition Deliverables to 14 Nutritionist-Dietitians under DOH Human Resource for Health (HRH) Deployment Program assigned in the Local Government Units. Nutrition Program Coordinator Nimfa D. Ekong of NNC IX and Nutritionist-Dietitian IV Ms. Evelyn M. Capistrano of DOH-CHD IX led the whole day orientation conducted in the DOH Regional Health Training Center, Cabatangan, Zamboanga City. The orientation aims to review the NDs of their roles and functions in their respective areas and to update them on the current plans and programs for nutrition in the region.
With the Department of Health programs and activities together with the National Nutrition Council which aims to improve the nutritional status of children under 5 years old as well as the pregnant and lactating women in the region, the deployment of NDs in the local government units will help the local nutrition workers (the NAOs and BNSs) through technical assistance and rotational monitoring visits. Their functions in ensuring health and nutrition services to be properly served and implemented to all beneficiaries will greatly contribute to the achievement of the regional plan of action for nutrition 2019-2022 in reducing malnutrition particularly stunting among children under 5 in the region.
