|
(Update) Pinoy seafarer infected with A(H1N1) dies in HK
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 07/16/2009 8:12 PM
The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong reported the death of a Filipino seafarer who was reportedly afflicted with
two infections.
“Consul General Claro Cristobal personally extends his deepest condolences to the bereaved and assures them of the
Philippine government’s assistance in the timely return of the deceased to the Philippines,” the Consulate stated.
Agence France Presse reported that Hong Kong health officials initially said that the man died from Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), a virulent bacteria that has emerged as a major health threat in hospitals around the world.
However, the same report stated that officials found from test results Thursday that the cargo ship crew member was also
suffering from A(H1N1) influenza, also known as swine flu.
"He had two infections at the same time," Thomas Tsang, controller of the government's Centre for Health Protection, told
reporters. "At this point in time, we cannot rule out that human swine flu may have played a part in his death," he said.
Tsang said the vessel arrived in mainland China with about 20 crew members mostly from the Philippines and Greece. Officials
are checking with the Beijing government to track them down, he added.
The Consulate stated that the 42-year-old Filipino from La Union province was onboard a Greek-registered container ship
MSC Mykonos that left Hong Kong on June 30. Three days later, he developed fever, cough and chest pains.
When the vessel returned to Hong Kong on July 8, the Filipino was rushed to the Ruttonjee Hospital where he was diagnosed
with pneumonia. He was placed under intensive care after he began experiencing respiratory failure.
Two days later, the seafarer died after suffering multiple organ failure. Doctors tried to revive him but to no avail.
“Since 10 July, the Consulate has been working with the manning agency of the deceased for the repatriation of his
remains. The Consulate continues to coordinate with health authorities on matters concerning his case,” the PCG said.
Meanwhile, the Consulate advised Filipinos to postpone their travel plans to Hong Kong when they develop flu-like symptoms.
“Those in the territory affected by the spread of the A/H1N1 influenza are encouraged to send a text message or call
the Consulate’s 24-hour hotline at 9155-4023,” the Consulate stated.
A total of 1,552 cases of swine flu had been reported in Hong Kong by Thursday afternoon, the health official said. Excluding
the seaman's case, five have been classified as serious and are in hospital. With Agence France Presse
as of 07/16/2009 9:05 PM
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/210136/filipino-doctor-receives-international-awards
Filipino doctor receives international awards
By MADEL R. SABATER
July 9, 2009, 7:56pm
A Filipino medical
doctor was conferred two international health research awards in Europe in recognition of his research work concerning the health and welfare of seafarers.
According to
a report of the Philippine Embassy in London to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), research
works submitted by Dr. Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno III won best
studies during the 11th Conference of International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) in Budapest,
Hungary from May 24 to 28.
He also received
medals for his studies presented at the First International Congress of Maritime, Tropical and Hyperbaric Medicine at Gdynia, Poland held
on June 4 to 6.
Prisno is working
on his PhD degree at the Cardiff University
in Wales.
Titles of his
studies presented in Hungary are: “International Seafarers as Patients: Towards a Model of an Effective Global Health
System,” and “Global Seafarers: Why Risky to STIs (Sexually transmitted Infections) and HIV (Human Immunodeficiency
Virus) When They Work and Travel” while the studies he presented in Poland are entitled, “An Analysis of the AIDS
(Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) Epidemic in the Maritime Industry,” and “The Anatomy of Stress: the Filipino
Seafarer and His Work.”
Prisno is a long-time
advocate of Filipino seafarers, with his calls for reforms in the maritime industry and social corporate responsibility from
ship owners.
His work on AIDS
in the maritime industry has yielded several substantive programs. He recently co-authored the book, International Medical
Guide for Ships, published by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is carried by all ships and used as a guide for health
problems onboard.
Latest Update: Saturday16/5/2009May, 2009, 11:27 PM Doha Time
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=291149&version=1&template_id=45&parent_id=25
|
‘Protect Filipino sailors in Africa’ |
|
A union representing
the Philippines’ 350,000 merchant seamen yesterday demanded better
protection for the sailors in Africa and warned freed victims of pirates may sue their employers
for damages.
The Trade Union Congress
of the Philippines wants Manila to put pressure
on the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) to follow the example of the US,
which it said has ordered all US-flagged vessels sailing through the Gulf of Aden to post
guards to ward off pirate attacks.
“The Philippines should be the one pushing the IMB hard for superior safety since
we are the biggest supplier of sailors, with more than 350,000 Filipinos on international shipping vessels at any given time,”
said union secretary general Ernesto Herrera.
The London-based IMB, a division of the International Chamber of Commerce,
has a Kuala Lumpur-based monitoring centre dedicated to suppressing piracy and armed robbery against ships.
The Philippine
labour group, which includes the Philippine Seafarers Union, said 242 Filipino sailors on foreign vessels had been seized
in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia since
2006, with 59 from five ships still being held hostage. The figure excludes Filipino sailors taken hostage by separatists
in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta.
The Nigerian army announced in Lagos yesterday that six
Filipinos and four Nigerians held hostage by militants aboard a ship in the volatile area were rescued overnight by Nigerian
security forces.
“The possibility of taking legal action against their employers is always there, particularly if
the shipping firms failed to provide adequate protective measures for the crew, or disregarded prior requests for extra security,”
Herrera said.
He said the labour federation was following the case of an American chief cook of the US-flagged Maersk
Alabama who has sued Maersk Line Ltd and the manning agency
Waterman Steamship Corp for $75,000 in damages after surviving a pirate hijacking in the Horn of Africa. AFP |
Seafarers to push adoption of 2006 Maritime Labor Convention
02/01/2009 | 10:41 AM
MANILA, Philippines - A seafarers' group has vowed to intensify its push for the adoption of the 2006 Maritime Labor Convention (MLC)
by the International Labor Office (ILO) to protect Filipino seafarers boarding international vessels.
The International
Seafarers' Action Center (ISAC) Philippines Foundation Inc. said adopting the convention will advance not only their rights
but their welfare as well.
"There is a need for the unified action by the seafarers' themselves to push for the Philippines'
ratification of the MLC," said ISAC President Edwin dela Cruz in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) website.
Diane Lynn Respall, senior program assistant of the ILO Philippine Office, said the speed of the adoption and ratification
of the MLC depends on how the social dialogues are going. She said it also depends on the political will of the government
to speed up the ratification process.
But lawyer Joseph Entero, ISAC vice-president and general secretary, voiced fears
that vested interests of some government officials would block the ratification of the MLC.
ISAC officials said that
aside from organizing the seafarers, they would also tap the ILO and other civil society groups such as the Filipino Seafarers'
Movement (FSM), the Catholic-led Apostleship of the Sea, and other institutions to help them disseminate information about,
and to push for, the ratification of this important international instrument for seafarers. - GMANews.TV
FAIR USE
Pursuant to Title
17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If
you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from
the copyright owner
|
