2009 swine flu pandemic in the Philippines
The 2009 flu pandemic was confirmed to have spread to the Philippines on May 21, 2009. In the following days, several local cases were reported to be caused by contact with two infected Taiwanese women who attended a wedding ceremony in Zambales.
| 2009 swine flu pandemic in the Philippines | |
|---|---|
Outbreak evolution in the Philippines as confirmed or suspected by different agencies.
Provinces with confirmed cases | |
| Disease | Influenza |
| Virus strain | Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 |
| Location | Philippines |
| First outbreak | Could have been in Veracruz, Central Mexico/US |
| Index case | Muntinlupa, Metro Manila |
| Arrival date | May 21, 2009 (14 years, 10 months, 2 weeks and 5 days ago) |
| Confirmed cases | 1,709–3,207 |
Deaths | 8–28 |
The 18-year-old arrived at the country on May 18 and was hospitalized the day after at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa. On May 21, Department of Health (DOH) secretary Francisco Duque confirmed the case being the first Philippine swine flu case. The first confirmed case in the Philippines was publicly announced on May 22, 2009.
Since the outbreak of A(H1N1) in the Americas, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo urged the Department of Health, the Bureau of Immigration, the Bureau of Quarantine and other concerned agencies to control monitor airport and seaport arrivals for possible flu infection. Thermal imaging equipment were installed at major airports to screen passengers coming from infected countries for flu symptoms. The Philippines may quarantine travelers arriving from Mexico with fever. Also, the importation of hogs from the U.S. and Mexico was banned, and the restriction of swine influenza vaccine use was retracted. First death was reported on June 19, 2009, a 49-year-old female Filipino employee of the Congress, as well as the first death in Asia.