Top Ten Health Issues Experienced in the Philippines

The Philippines, like other developing countries, has its challenges with morbidity and mortality.  Addressing the different health problems each year and the continuous provision for the health care needs has been a goal of the Philippines government.  Here are the ten common health issues the Philippines struggled with in 2009:

Pneumonia

Increase of cold months in the country caused increase of incidences of pneumonia. Pneumonia involves inflammation of the lungs and leads to hospitalization. Foreigners, especially those from non-tropical regions, are most susceptible to this in the Philippines because they have to adjust to the weather patterns.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea outbreaks have been consistently on the rise in Philippine soil, especially with the recent aftermath of Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy in local name).

Leptospirosis

A more recent DOH problem involved the hyper increase of cases of leptopspirosis in the Philippines, particularly in La Union and other flood-stricken areas. The onset of consecutive floods from the string of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng caused contaminated water to fill the urban and rural areas. 

Malnutrition

Physical, emotional and social factors contribute to this prevalent problem of Filipinos. More underweight than overweight, Filipinos often have to consider societal gaps as a primary factor. The ill distribution of wealth in the country attributes to most Filipinos having less food to eat on their plates.

  A(H1N1) Flu Virus Scare

The AH1N1 flu virus scare really took the wind out of boat sails as it reduced the number of passengers on ships and other transportation modes that involve a lot of people. Notable security measures were heightened in airports and other areas to prevent the outbreak, although the outbreak still happened in Jaen Nueva Ecija, shortly after the first case of AH1N1 has been reported May 2009.

Illegal Drug Addiction

Many Filipinos continue to fall victim to drug addiction. There are over 3.5 million habitual drug users in the country, and some of the national scandals in the past have been linked to illegal drug use. The ongoing struggle against illegal drug addiction is an uphill battle.

Malaria M

Villages in Filipino remote areas are most susceptible to outbreaks of Malaria, and the focus of improvement efforts are all there, locally and internationally. The lack of accessibility and financial resource to get the best medical care is the chief cause of malaria infiltration in the country. 

Tuberculosis

The Philippine coalition against tuberculosis is just one of the many institutions that help alleviate this major Philippine health hazard. For decades, this has been established as one of the country’s leading cause of deaths. 

Heart Disease/Hypertension

A scary health problem, there has been steadily enormous increase in trends of hypertension among Filipinos.

Cancer

A primary prominent person who recently died of this illness in the Philippines is Corazon Aquino, among many other famous and non-famous individuals. Cancer is often found to be prevalent in urban areas, with better treatment options. But cancer is quite difficult to treat for some cases.