Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)

One Year On

FACT
SHEET

Communicable
Diseases
Preventing communicable diseases

120
Health staff
trained
on dengue

1350
Volunteers trained
to prevent dengue

Over

335,000
Dogs vaccinated
against rabies

TB
All TB patients
back on
treatment

After Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) there was a serious concern about the
spread of communicable diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, diarrhoea,
measles and tuberculosis (TB). Conditions were favourable for the breeding
and spread of disease vectors such as mosquitos; the Governments ability to
respond to potential disease outbreaks was limited; and the population was
weak and vulnerable. The typhoon also had a serious impact on household
pets, many of whom were abandoned, left uncared for or otherwise
traumatized by the event, resulting in an increase in the population of stray
and rabid dogs. Further, the typhoon had destroyed the TB programs records,
equipment, facilities and medications.
To control the spread of disease and in particular three major communicable
diseases in the area, TB, rabies and dengue, WHO undertook a number of
activities with the Department of Health (DOH).

Getting TB patients back on treatment

TB is an infectious disease which most commonly affects the lungs. It is treatable with a six-month course of antibiotics. However, interruption of treatment
for TB patients can create a higher risk of new infections and resistance to TB
medications. With over 26,000 TB cases and estimated 356 cases of
multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB in the typhoon affected region, tackling TB was
a high priority for WHO in the immediate aftermath of the typhoon. Many
medical records had been destroyed, making the tracking of TB patients difficult. The DOH, WHO and health partners established a system to locate persons with TB and to direct these individuals to their nearest treatment center.
By mid-December almost all TB patients remaining in the area were back on
treatment.
TB treatment centers, including those for MDR-TB and diagnostic laboratories
were mapped and assessed for functionality. The TB culture laboratory in
Tacloban was completely destroyed, but this was quickly repaired with the
assistance of the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria. WHO worked with
DOH and health cluster partners to rapidly re-establish diagnostic capacity
through the deployment of a GeneXpert machine; training on emergency
diagnostic capacity for TB and MDR-TB; and provision of 50 new
microscopes. WHO and the DOH also quickly prepared and distributed a basic
field manual to assist NGOs, foreign medical teams and health centres in
diagnosing and treating TB.
The TB program is now back on track in the affected regions with all TB patients back on treatment.

Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)

One Year On
Preventing the Spread of Rabies
Rabies is a disease that is transmitted from animals to
humans and is caused by a virus. It is a fatal but
preventable disease and a significant public health
threat in the Philippines, one of the top 10 countries in
the world for human rabies deaths.
In the typhoon affected areas, destruction of houses
and places of living resulted in an increase in free
roaming dogs, the main hosts and transmitters of
rabies. This in turn increased the incidence of animal
bites in the area. The WHO and DOH, with support
from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF),
has an ongoing rabies elimination program throughout
the Visayas. However, the typhoon destroyed or
damaged program equipment. Based on an assessment of needs and reports of three deaths due to suspected rabies in Eastern Samar, WHO and DOH prepared a plan to restore the rabies elimination program in
the affected areas. WHO has supported the following activities so far:

Procurement of dog vaccines including vaccine carriers, vaccine refrigerator, needles, syringes, and registry
booklets.
Purchase of rabies immunoglobulin vaccines for human bite cases.
Meetings with local government units (LGUs) and local barangay chiefs to support the rabies dog
vaccination campaign.
Support for an intensified rabies awareness campaign promoting responsible pet ownership including the
design and production of information, education and communication materials.

Over 335,000 dogs have been vaccinated in the region since the typhoon.

Controlling Dengue
Dengue fever is a painful, debilitating mosquito-borne disease that affects all ages and is potentially fatal,
particularly for children. In the aftermath of the typhoon, alert levels for dengue were high in Region VIII.
WHO and DOH took a number of measures to control the spread of the disease in Region VIII that included:
Investigations to identify dengue mosquito breeding sites.
Preparing an emergency response plan for dengue vector control.
Conducting trainings on dengue mosquito surveillance.
Training volunteers on the prevention of dengue (dengue brigades).
Provision of equipment and appropriate chemicals to kill mosquitos.
Provision of rapid diagnostic kits for early detection of dengue.
As a result of this work, to date there have been no major outbreaks of dengue in the typhoon-affected areas,
even since the rainy season has begun. This is a very good outcome for the health program and has helped
prevent the suffering of countless people, particularly children.

WHO Philippines wishes to thank the donors and partners: the Governments of Australia, Canada, Japan, Kuwait,
Monaco, Norway, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom; Contributions received
from Central Emergency Response Fund of the United Nations, the Japan Private Kindergarten Association. WHO
further extend their gratitude to staff from the WHO Non-governmental Organization Consortium and members of the
Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network.

Visit our website at www.wpro.who.int/philippines

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