CAYETANO: APRIL IS "CANCER IN CHILDREN AWARENESS MONTH"

"The lives of Filipino children stricken with cancer can be saved with early detection and proper treatment."

Senate Health and Demography Committee Chair Senator Pia S. Cayetano made this remark, as she called on
the government and the private sector to join hands in supporting the plight of children with cancer and raising
public awareness about kids stricken with the dreaded disease.

She said many Filipinos are unaware that the month of April is designated as "Cancer in Children Awareness
Month," in much the same way that many families lack basic information on how to deal with the much-feared
disease.

"Often they are gripped with a sense of helplessness when cancer strikes a family member," she said.

She pointed out that the survival rate for Filipino children with cancer is alarmingly low, as she noted a report
from the non-government Cancer Warriors Foundation, Inc. showing that only 10% of Filipino children
diagnosed with the disease survive.

"But these young lives need not be wasted since the disease can be treated if detected early. The earlier the child
is diagnosed, the greater the chance of recovery."

"With proper information, early detection and appropriate treatment, cancer can be beaten," stressed Cayetano,
who is also a spokesperson for the Philippine Cancer Society.

She noted that 80% of children diagnosed with cancer come from developing countries, where many families
cannot afford the best available cancer treatment.

The cost of one chemotherapy session for leukemia patient ranges from P5,000 to P10,000. It usually takes
about 12 sessions for effective treatment.

The leading type of cancer in children is leukemia, followed by lymphoma, brain and spinal cancer.

"Everyone should help in raising awareness on the need for early diagnosis of childhood cancer and improving
the access of Filipino families, especially the poor, to cancer treatment."

Cayetano has been supportive of the initiatives of the non-government organizations like the Cancer Warriors
Foundation, Inc. and the Philippine Cancer Society.

** April has been declared Cancer in Children Awareness Month to create public awareness on pediatric
cancer.

Cancer is a very rare disease in children. Its cause is unknown so most of the time the cancer is already in its
advanced stage by the time it is diagnosed. Childhood cancer affects children from birth to 19 years old.

The various types of pediatric cancer include acute lymphocytic leukemia, bone cancer, brain and spinal cord
cancer, Erwing’s sarcoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, neuroblastoma, osteoracoma,
retinoblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and Wilm’s tumor.

The most common symptoms of pediatric cancer are dizziness; vomiting; unexplained fever or recurring fever;
unexplained weight loss; frequent headaches; fatigue; paleness; sudden eye or vision changes; excessive
bruising or bleeding; swelling or pain in the joints, bones, pelvis, back or legs; lump in the armpit, leg, chest,
stomach or pelvis; and recurring or persistent infections.
In the Philippines, the most common pediatric cancer is acute lymphoblastic leukemia which is generally
thought to start in the bone marrow, but leukemic blasts may be systematically present at the time of
presentation. They may be present in the bone marrow, thymus, liver, spleen, lymph nodes, and testes. The
classic symptoms of this illness are fatigue and paleness, fever, and bruising or bleeding.

Other symptoms include weight loss, bone pain, and dyspnea.

Oftentimes, acute lymphoblastic leukemia are cured. Treatment include chemotherapy, other drug theraphy, and
radiation. In serious cases, bone marrow and blood stem cell transplant is needed.

The task of fighting cancer is really difficult. It imposes stress on the whole family. The best defense is
information. Parents must learn about the disease, its risks, and its treatment. Coping with the illness will be
more manageable if the whole family knows what to expect both from the medical and emotional viewpoint.

Cancer has huge implications for the quality of the child’s life. The child’s schooling might get disrupted when
hospitalization is needed and it would also mean missing out on the normal growing-up period that most
children and teen-agers experience.

To avoid all these problems, it is important that children undergo annual check ups and maintain good health by
eating healthy and well-balanced diet and exercise.

July is Schistosomiasis Awareness Month

What is Schistosomiasis?

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by several species of fluke of the genus Schistosoma. Although it
has a low mortality rate, schistosomiasis often is a chronic illness that can damage internal organs and in
children, impair growth and cognitive development.

3 Species of Schistosoma that can infect humans:

• Schistosoma Mansoni
• Schistosoma Japonicum
• Schistosoma Haematobium

Life Cycle
Symptoms of Schistosomiasis

• Abdominal pain
• Cough
• Diarrhea
• Eosinophilia — extremely high eosinophil granulocyte (white blood cell) count.
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Hepatosplenomegaly — the enlargement of both the liver and the spleen.
• Genital sores

World Health Day is celebrated every year on 7 April, under the sponsorship of the World Health
Organization (WHO).

In 1948, the World Health Organization held the First World Health Assembly. The Assembly decided to
celebrate 7th April of each year, with effect from 1950, as the World Health Day. The World Health Day is
celebrated to create “awareness of a specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the World
Health Organization (WHO)”. Activities - related to that particular theme and the resources provided - continue
beyond 7 April, that is, the designated day for celebrating the World Health Day.

*World Health Day 2009: Save lives. Make hospitals safe in emergencies

World Health Day 2009 focuses on the safety of health facilities and the readiness of health workers who treat
people affected by emergencies. Health centres and staff provide vital health care in communities every day. In
disasters, their services are in even greater demand: treating injuries, preventing illnesses and caring for
people’s urgent health needs.
A safe hospital that continues to function at optimum capacity during and after a disaster or other emergency is
a safe haven that protects lives. Safe health facilities are a joint responsibility, requiring crucial support from
other sectors to ensure essential life-lines. When health facilities stop functioning, it is a double blow to a
devastated community.

*World Health Day 2008: Protecting health from the adverse effects of climate change

The World Health Day, on 7 April, marks the founding of the World Health Organization and is an opportunity
to draw worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global health each year. In 2008, World Health
Day focuses on the need to protect health from the adverse effects of climate change.& establish links between
climate change and health and other development areas such as environment, food, energy, transport.

The theme “protecting health from climate change” puts health at the centre of the global dialogue about
climate change. WHO selected this theme in recognition that climate change is posing ever growing threats to
global public health security.

Through increased collaboration, the global community will be better prepared to cope with climate-related
health challenges worldwide. Examples of such collaborative actions are: strengthening surveillance and control
of infectious diseases, ensuring safer use of diminishing water supplies, and coordinating health action in
emergencies.

*World Health day 2007: Invest in health, build a safer future

Key messages for World Health Day 2007:

1. Threats to health know no borders.

2. Invest in health, build a safer future.
3. Health leads to security; insecurity leads to poor health.
4. Preparedness and quick response improve international health security.
5. The World Health Organization is making the world more secure

World Malaria Day

25 April 2009

Approximately half of the world's population is at risk of malaria, particularly those living in lower-income
countries. It infects more than 500 million people per year and kills more than 1 million. The burden of malaria
is heaviest in sub-Saharan Africa but the disease also afflicts Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and even
parts of Europe.

World Malaria Day - which was instituted by the World Health Assembly at its 60th session in May 2007 - is a
day for recognizing the global effort to provide effective control of malaria. It is an opportunity:

* for countries in the affected regions to learn from each other's experiences and support each other's efforts;
* for new donors to join a global partnership against malaria;
* for research and academic institutions to flag their scientific advances to both experts and general public;
and
* for international partners, companies and foundations to showcase their efforts and reflect on how to scale
up what has worked.
The theme of this year's World Malaria Day is "Counting Malaria Out". The Roll Back Malaria Partnership -
which includes WHO - is kicking off a campaign to engage partners in a comprehensive effort to count and
quantify the progress and impact of the fight against malaria.

GARANTISADONG PAMBATA (ROUND 1) KICKS OFF ON APRIL 14, 2008

The yearly Garantisadong Pambata campaign is set to kick off with it's first round this month on April 14, 2008.
The Garantisadong Pambata (GP) or Pre-schoolers Health Week is a bi-annual activity conducted every April
and October of each year to deliver child health services nationwide. The theme for this year's campaign is
"GP8 Child Survival Package - Kids Cant Wait". The focus of the campaign is to provide the essential heath
services as specified in the child survival strategy in order to accelerate and sustain action towards reaching
Millenium Development Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality. The 8 core interventions include:

1) Skilled attendance during pregnancy, delivery and immediate post-partum,

2) care of newborn
3) breastfeeding and complementary feeding
4) micronutrient supplementation and deworming
5) immunization of children and mothers
6) integrated management of sick children
7) injury prevention and control
8) birth spacing.

The strategy offers a unified direction and description of the actions necessary to successfully implement life
saving interventions. Likewise, it focuses on children from birth to 5 years of age and advocates that every child
have the same chance of survival.Garantisadong Pambata (Pre-schoolers week) Round 1 is set on April 14-18,
2008 while Round 2 is on October 13-17, 2008 "Help your child survive. Give your child a happy healthy life.

Head and Neck Consciousness Week

Proclamation 1676 declares the fourth week of April and every year thereafter as Head and Neck Consciousness
Week with the observance to be led by the Philippine Society of Otolaryngology of the Department of Health
(DOH).

The 2005 Philippine Cancer Facts and Estimates of the Philippine Cancer Society of the DOH showed that there
were 12,150 new cases, ranking neck and head cancer as number three next to lung and breast.

This increase is brought about by exposure to environmental toxins, chemicals, pollution, smoking and alcohol,
and improper nutrition.

The proclamation, signed by President Gloria Arroyo November of 2008, states that Head and Neck Cancer
"will have an enormous impact on the person, family, community and country as a whole."

The proclamation further states that the impact translates to loss of income and loss of productivity on the part
of the patient and the immediate family, on top of social costs like depression and anxiety.

The observance of Head and Neck Consciousness Week is a call for implementation of an intensive information
dissemination campaign regarding the prevention, early diagnosis and prompt treatment of head and Neck
Cancer and prevent social effects.

President Arroyo said in her proclamation that the DOH and the Philippine Society of Otolaryngology-Head and
Neck Surgery are tasked to lead in planning and organizing activities of the celebration.
Arroyo also enjoined all other government and non-government sectors, private and local government units,
academic institutions and civil society groups to actively participate in the celebration as well as conduct their
own activities.