As a highly-communicable disease, COVID-19 has affected various aspects of people's lives globally and has significantly changed the way our systems currently work. With countries imposing nationwide lockdowns as a precaution against the pandemic, travel is highly restricted, office employees work from home, and access to commercial establishments becomes limited, among others. As the country prepares to transition to the ‘new normal,’ it is vital to understand how the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is transmitted from one person to another to avoid the further spread of the infection.

How does COVID-19 spread?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 is primarily spread from person to person through respiratory droplets.

1. Respiratory Droplets - COVID-19 can be transmitted when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. Anyone within 3 feet of the infected person may inhale these droplets into their lungs. The virus can also be transmitted through close contact such as when shaking hands or caring for the sick.
2. Surface Transmission - Surface transmission happens when a person touches contaminated surfaces that an infected person has coughed or sneezed on. Research shows that the virus can live on surfaces like plastic and stainless steel for several days.

What can I do to protect myself from COVID-19?

1. Continue practicing physical distancing- Maintain a distance of at least three feet from other people. Accordingly, avoid going to social gatherings or in crowded places.
2. Maintain good personal hygiene. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, and constantly wash your hands with soap and water. In case these are not available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 70% alcohol.
3. Wear Personal Protective Equipment. Wear face masks that cover your mouth and nose when going out, or when with other people. Non-medical fabric masks may also help, as long as they are not damaged, clean and are worn properly. Never share your face mask with other people.
4. Clean and Disinfect. Using a household disinfectant, clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. Cleaning of visibly dirty surfaces followed by disinfection is a best practice measure for prevention of COVID-19.
5. Observe stricter precautions for individuals at higher risk. Older people, and people with chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, tend to be more at risk of developing severe symptoms. It is highly relevant for the immuno-compromised or those who belong to high-risk groups to stay at home as much as possible, and practice stricter precautions as iterated above.

Understanding the transmission patterns and practicing these specified precautionary measures could mean saving our lives and the people we love. Equipped with the right information and proper health practices, together, we can help fight to end this pandemic.

References:

• https://www.who.int/westernpacific/news/multimedia/infographics/covid-19?fbclid=IwAR2lyp_AgCia2gngU9ZJGuGjo9riO1NTcPHtJocrmqTUpPjDdR0gKHTFjts
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html?fbclid=IwAR0T-lpZut62AQzxDAOMEE-WXUYJPGzHiGmMkWM_BZg1-wY06MjvZE8QxF4
• http://covid19.gov.ph/
• https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/study-suggests-new-coronavirus-may-remain-surfaces-days?fbclid=IwAR0dkBch8D-bIlx0J9U4s3meC7D57Ip4a0KWW-JkIt46cfi2U44wIWnr_dQ
• https://www.who.int/images/default-source/health-topics/coronavirus/clothing-masks-infographic---web---part-2.png?sfvrsn=d7b0f88d_1
• https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/modes-of-transmission-of-virus-causing-covid-19-implications-for-ipc-precaution-recommendations
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/what-you-can-do.html

 Written by:

Catherrine Joy Dimailig
Jwynne Gwyneth Macan

Citing examples of health research frameworks from countries including the Philippines, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights the role of establishing regional and international partnerships for stronger national health research systems in the report: “What is the evidence on policies, interventions and tools for establishing and/or strengthening national health research systems and their effectiveness?” by the Health Evidence Network (HEN).

Emphasizing the importance of continued commitment and adequate funding for health research, the report elaborated on how regional and international partnerships can help “generate benefits from combined resources and diverse perspectives.” 

“Building partnerships or regional initiatives or interventions through which countries analyse their situation and might collaborate with peers (will help) identify ways to strengthen the health research system of each country,” the report states.

Accordingly, the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) is built through cross-cutting partnerships among international, national and regional agencies. Institutionalized in 2013, the PNHRS is implemented by four core agencies --- the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Health (DOH), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the University of the Philippines Manila.

Aiming to harness the potential of each region, the PNHRS framework is mirrored in all regions of the country through the Regional Health Research and Development Consortia (RHRDC). Each RHRDC addresses concerns relating to its health research agenda, development of human resource, conduct of researches, dissemination of research results, research utilization, resource mobilization, leadership and management addresses concerns related to health research, and mobilizes resources specific and abundant to each region.

“The RHRDCs are the bridge of PNHRS to reach the communities. PNHRS connects with the communities through the RHRDCs to learn from them, understand their needs, and develop responsive health research initiatives," DOST-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) Executive Director Jaime C. Montoya explains.

As one of the implementing agencies of the PNHRS, WHO also cites the partnership of DOST-PCHRD with the United States National Institutes of Health (US-NIH) and the United Kingdom Medical Research Council (UK-MRC) as an approach in line with the objective of “launching a proactive policy (which) will encourage and accompany consistent international collaborations,”   by Inserm--the National Institute of Health and Medical Research of France.

In 2017, DOST-PCHRD signed a partnership with the US-NIH for the establishment of the Regional Prospective Observational Research in Tuberculosis (RePORT) Consortium in the Philippines to create a platform for collaborative research on tuberculosis (TB) in the country. Meanwhile, DOST-PCHRD’s partnership with the UK-MRC through the Newton Agham Program in 2016, supports research projects which address diseases that impact the most vulnerable in the society such as malaria, HIV, schistosomiasis, dengue, antimicrobial resistance, tuberculosis, rabies, and diabetes.

DOST-PCHRD also pursued local and international partnerships to capacitate the country’s pool of experts. Together with the Asia Pacific Association of Medical Journal Editors (APAME) and the  Philippine Association of Medical Journal Editors (PAMJE), DOST-PCHRD organizes a biannual medical research writing program for Filipino researchers. DOST-PCHRD was also able to secure partnerships with the University of Trieste (UNITs) and Fondazione Italiana Fegato (FIF) in 2019, which allows the country to send scholars to UNITs for the PhD Program in Molecular Biomedicine.

The PNHRS is an integrated national health research framework which aims to provide an enabling environment for health research for the achievement of the country’s national health goals through partnerships, collaborations and cross-cutting strategies.

Through the continuous effort of the System and its implementing agencies, WHO cites the Philippines as among countries with important progress in health research and as an NHRS model for low- to middle-income countries in the same report by HEN.  Previous report can be read here: bit.ly/pnhrswho-report.

Source: http://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/news/6567-pnhrs-builds-on-partnerships-and-diversity-for-a-robust-health-research-system

Written by Jwynne Gwyneth Macan

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) celebrates the ASEAN Dengue Day every 15^th of June since its declaration in 2011. According to the World Health organization (WHO), the celebration aims to raise awareness on dengue, mobilize resources for its prevention and control, and demonstrate the region’s commitment to tackling the disease.

While the Department of Health (DOH) announced last January that there is a steady decline in cases of dengue in the country, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque reminded the public to not be complacent, remain vigilant, and sustain the gains of the enhanced 4S strategy to keep dengue at bay.

To further mitigate the threat of dengue, the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) continues to support the DOH by funding relevant studies to improve the dengue situation in the country. Some of these studies are:

The Performance of an Innovative Auto Dissemination of Insecticides (InDAI) for Dengue Mosquito Control in the Philippines Program which aims to evaluate the efficacy of the InDAI trap in the reduction of mosquito densities in selected cities in the National Capital Region.

The Aedes Genomics Adaptation Program that investigates the genomic underpinnings of Aedes species’ adaptation to extreme temperature conditions. To date, the program is the first to publish the full genome of a female Aedes aegypti - a piece of data which will be key to understanding vector biology.

A program on Philippine land use change and arbovirus diversity surveillance and monitoring of viral pathogens in the country which sought to investigate how land use change in Barangays Bagong Silang, Lalakay, and Bayog in Los Baños, Laguna, have affected the transmission of dengue within the communities.

In the spirit of awareness, the Council encourages everyone to follow simple but effective steps like removing or covering all areas with stagnant water, installing screens on windows, using mosquito repellants, and wearing long-sleeved shirts when outdoors.

Sources:

https://www.who.int/philippines/news/feature-stories/detail/asean-dengue-day-the-philippines-leads-efforts-in-dengue-control-and-prevention

https://www.doh.gov.ph/doh-press-release/doh-reports-steady-decline-in-dengue-cases

https://www.nea.gov.sg/docs/default-source/resource/first-asean-dengue-day-with-inauguration-of-the-environmental-health-institute-as-a-who-collaborating-centre_1.pdf

http://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/news/6566-june-15-is-asean-dengue-day

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) celebrates the ASEAN Dengue Day every 15^th of June since its declaration in 2011. According to the World Health organization (WHO), the celebration aims to raise awareness on dengue, mobilize resources for its prevention and control, and demonstrate the region’s commitment to tackling the disease.

While the Department of Health (DOH) announced last January that there is a steady decline in cases of dengue in the country, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque reminded the public to not be complacent, remain vigilant, and sustain the gains of the enhanced 4S strategy to keep dengue at bay.

To further mitigate the threat of dengue, the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) continues to support the DOH by funding relevant studies to improve the dengue situation in the country. Some of these studies are:

The Performance of an Innovative Auto Dissemination of Insecticides (InDAI) for Dengue Mosquito Control in the Philippines Program which aims to evaluate the efficacy of the InDAI trap in the reduction of mosquito densities in selected cities in the National Capital Region.

The Aedes Genomics Adaptation Program that investigates the genomic underpinnings of Aedes species’ adaptation to extreme temperature conditions. To date, the program is the first to publish the full genome of a female Aedes aegypti - a piece of data which will be key to understanding vector biology.

A program on Philippine land use change and arbovirus diversity surveillance and monitoring of viral pathogens in the country which sought to investigate how land use change in Barangays Bagong Silang, Lalakay, and Bayog in Los Baños, Laguna, have affected the transmission of dengue within the communities.

In the spirit of awareness, the Council encourages everyone to follow simple but effective steps like removing or covering all areas with stagnant water, installing screens on windows, using mosquito repellants, and wearing long-sleeved shirts when outdoors.

Sources:

https://www.who.int/philippines/news/feature-stories/detail/asean-dengue-day-the-philippines-leads-efforts-in-dengue-control-and-prevention

https://www.doh.gov.ph/doh-press-release/doh-reports-steady-decline-in-dengue-cases

https://www.nea.gov.sg/docs/default-source/resource/first-asean-dengue-day-with-inauguration-of-the-environmental-health-institute-as-a-who-collaborating-centre_1.pdf