9 die of ‘Japanese mosquito’ bite

A total of seven people are reported to have died due to Japanese encephalitis in Central Luzon
as the number of cases of people stricken with the mosquito-borne disease in the country rose to
133, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

Based on the DOH figures released on Tuesday, there are already four fatalities due to the
disease in Pampanga; two in Zambales; and one in Nueva Ecija.

On a national scale, already nine people have been killed by the so-called “Japanese mosquito” –
including one in Laguna province in Southern Tagalog (Region 4-A) and another in Pangasinan
in Northern Luzon (Region 1).

But Pangasinan Provincial Health Officer Ana De Guzman told The Manila Bulletin that the case
in the province is still “being confirmed and investigated.”

Like Dengue, Japanese encephalitis is acquired via a mosquito bite that is carrying the disease.
Some of the symptoms include fever, headaches, abdominal pain, seizures, and brain swelling.
Worst case scenarios include going into a coma and death.

Currently, there are a total of 133 cases of the disease that were recorded from January 1 to
August 26.

As such, the DOH plans to put the vaccine against Japanese encephalitis in the list of publicly
mandated vaccines under the expanded immunization program next year.

With the price ranging from P3,500 to P5,000 each, families living under the poverty line would
have a hard time procuring the vaccine and due to the social media scare, there has been a
dwindling stock of the vaccines at pharmacies. (With a report from Liezle Basa Iñigo)

Tags: Central Luzon, Department of Health, DOH, immunization, Japanese

encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis deaths climbs to 9, JE, Manila Bulletin
 Random drug testing of students will make minors 'open targets'

MANILA, Philippines – Students as young as 13 years old may soon find themselves
taking a drug test as part of the government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs.

As ordered by the Department of Education (DepEd), the mandatory random drug test
among students in both public and private high school is set to begin school year 2017-
2018.

But many human rights organizations, such as the Children’s Legal Rights and
Development Center (CLRDC), have condemned this plan as it will put minors in a very
vulnerable position in President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.

“We see it as making the students open targets,” CLRDC executive director Rowena
Legaspi told Rappler on Wednesday, August 30. “Alam naman natin na kapag na-
identify ka as a drug user, kahit suspect ka pa lamang, ay nagiging biktima ka na
agad.” (We know that once you are identified as a drug user, even if you’re still a
suspect, you end up being a victim.)

The plan to test students for drug use is not new. In 2003, the Dangerous Drugs Board
(DDB) released guidelines on the conduct of random drug testing among secondary and
tertiary students. This was revised in 2009 when then president Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo ordered a nationwide drug test among students.

The previous moves were done pursuant to Section 36, Article III, of the
Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2003.

The environment then, however, was not as violent as it is now in the Philippines.
Duterte’s anti-illegal drugs campaign has been widely criticized for its high death toll of
more than 3,500 deaths in police operations, going by official police numbers that have
fluctuated in the past months. The number of people actually killed by vigilantes is still
being hotly debated and contested.

According to Legaspi, the random drug testing among students “will open the floodgates
to more killings of minors” as the government intensifies its campaign.

“Sa tingin namin, mas mapapalawak ang offensive ng government on this drug war at
magiging vulnerable talaga ang minors because of this order (We believe this will widen
the offensive of the government in this drug war and make minors more vulnerable),”
she said.