Report of A(H1N1) flu virus cases in Valenzuela belied

Calling the figures “unverified,” a public official belied a recent report from the Department of Health that said that there were confirmed cases of A(H1N1) in Valenzuela City.

In a phone interview,  Ahna Mejia, Valenzuela City chief public information officer, told the Inquirer that as per the records of the local epidemiology and surveillance unit, there was no confirmed case of the influenza virus in any of the city’s 32 barangays.

Earlier, the DOH Epidemiology Center said Valenzuela accounted for five of the recorded 109 laboratory-confirmed A(H1N1) cases in Metro Manila, from Jan. 1 to Nov. 5, 2011.

The center said Muntinlupa accounted for the majority of the cases, or 83. Pasig, it said, had five confirmed cases, while at least four were recorded in Parañaque, two each in Makati, Malabon and Taguig, and one each in Marikina, Pasay and Quezon City.

The (five) are probably still suspected cases which are subject for verification, Mejia told the Inquirer.

The usual discrepancies between records at the national and local level have brought about complaints on the part of some local officials, according to a high-ranking official from the city government who did not want to be identified.

The latter, the source said, believe that they should be informed “immediately” of the results of any monitoring of diseases done at the national level.

The source said that this was to allow city officials to verify the information first before it is leaked to the media.

The source added that several local health officials had already requested a meeting with Health Secretary Enrique Ona for this issue to be addressed.