DOH: Flu-like cases declining but public still need to be cautious this Amihan season

Even as the cases of influenza-like illness (ILIs) in the country are decreasing in recent weeks, the Department of Health (DOH) advised the public, especially the vulnerable groups, to take caution and practice respiratory etiquette this Amihan season.

The DOH reiterated that respiratory conditions such as allergies or respiratory infections may increase during the Northeast Monsoon or Amihan season due to cooler weather.

Despite this, data showed that ILI cases nationwide were continuously declining by year end of 2024.

From November 20 to December 3, there were 7,299 ILI cases recorded, which dipped to 6,470 during December 4-17 period, and further to 3,443 on December 18-31.

ILI cases also reportedly decreased in the first half of November 2024—from 7,971 on October 20-November 2 to 7,571 from November 3-16.

In total, 179,227 ILI cases were logged in the country throughout 2024, which was 17% lower than the 216,786 cases in 2023.

ILI is characterized by coughs, colds, and fever, and is commonly due to respiratory viruses. The top five causative agents of ILI in the Philippines are rhinovirus, enterovirus, influenza A, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and adenovirus.

The DOH has advised the public to cover coughs using elbows; stay at home when with cough, colds, or fever; and wash hands with soap and water as the Amihan season persists.

People can also voluntarily wear facemasks if they have symptoms or if they want to prevent contracting diseases. 

China’s case

The DOH issued the reminder as the World Health Organization (WHO) released a news item on January 7, saying that there has been an upward trend of common acute respiratory infections in China, including those due to seasonal influenza viruses, RSV, and human metapneumovirus (hMPV).

The WHO, however, emphasized that it has not observed any unusual outbreak patterns in China as the reported number of acute respiratory infections there is still within the expected range for the winter season.

The DOH also clarified that hMPV is not a new disease and is already being tested in the Philippines as part of its ILI and severe acute respiratory illness surveillance.

“hMPV is not a new virus. We have been able to identify it for a long time. Its symptoms are not severe. Like the common cough and cold, it heals on its own as long as our resistance is strong,” Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said in a statement.

According to DOH, hMPV ranked 6th among the identified causative agents of ILI in the Philippines in 2024.

From December 1 to 21 alone, there were 10 out of 339 (2.9%) positive samples due to hMPV. For the entire 2024, there were 284 out of 4,921 (5.8%) samples that tested positive due to the virus.

“hMPV is being detected sporadically, with no unusual clustering or pattern, throughout the year,” the DOH said. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News