- A doctor asked Fabella Hospital to release its microcephaly cases
- Former DOH consultant Dr. Willie Ong wants the total number of cases in 2 months
- Microcephaly is a birth defect linked to Zika virus
A doctor asked the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital to release its records of microcephaly; a birth defect which is linked to Zika virus.
“I am respectfully requesting Fabella hospital to release their records of microcephaly cases in the past two months (January and February 2016). How many cases are there for these months? Let us compare the number of microcephaly cases this year as compared to the same period last year. A source has informed me that they have been seeing an increase in these cases. I pray that my source is wrong,” Dr. Willie T. Ong, a former Department of Health consultant, wrote on Facebook, on Tuesday, March 8.
Ong, who is active on social media, disclosed that he has gathered a total of 15 cases of microcephaly, which involve children ages one year and below. He said he used his Facebook page alone in gathering cases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), microcephaly, a lifetime defect, has been linked to seizures, intellectual disability, problems with movement and balance, hearing loss, vision problems, feeding problems such as difficulty swallowing, and developmental delay such as problems with speech or other developmental milestones like sitting, standing, and walking.
Those born with severe cases either need lifelong care or die. Babies born with mild microcephaly, however, may have an improved quality of life through speech and occupational therapy.
“Let me be clear that microcephaly in babies has several causes such as severe malnutrition, exposure to drugs or alcohol, and various infections during pregnancy including the Zika virus. Hence, a rise in microcephaly does not necessarily point to the Zika virus. But knowing what has happened in Brazil, we should be proactive in finding the truth,” he noted.
Brazil has reported thousands of cases of microcephaly.
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