Glady B.

People who work with poultry and swine, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of infection from these animals if the animals carry a strain that is also able to infect humans. Swine Influenza Virus (SIV) can mutate into a form that allows it to pass from human to human.

The 2009 swine flu outbreak is the spread of a new strain of H1N1 influenza virus that was first detected by public health agencies in March 2009. Local outbreaks of influenza-like illness were detected in three areas of Mexico, but the presence of this new strain was not clinically discovered until a month later in the American states of Texas and California, whereupon its presence was swiftly confirmed in various Mexican states and Mexico City; within days isolated cases elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere were also identified. By April 27, the new strain was confirmed in Canada, Spain, and the United Kingdom and suspected in many other nations, including New Zealand, with over 2,400 candidate cases, prompting the WHO to raise their pandemic alert level to 4.

Swine Flu Virus hasn’t reached the Philippine shores yet and that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo gave the directive to agricultural authorities after the World Health Organization declared the swine flu outbreak in parts of Mexico and the United States as a public health emergency.

Department of Agriculture has put the imports of pork products under strict surveillance while the Department of Health has been on the lookout for arriving flight passengers with flu-like symptoms.

Swine influenza can be transmitted through the air or through direct contact.

Asian countries are banning Chinese dairy products because it contains traces of the banned chemical additive melamine.

Philippines have banned all infant formulas, milk and milk products from China to safeguard against poisoning by the toxic industrial chemical melamine.

Here is the updated list of milk and milk products being tested for excessive melamine content.

Let me share you some of my pictures together with my friends slash officemates in our vacation in Bohol. The feeling is so good just looking at these pics. Here are some of them, so enjoy.;)

Our much awaited and planned vacation finally comes true. After arriving at the Panglao Airport, one hour later we already packed our things to see the beautiful and breathtaking Bohol beaches in Pangalo. And, I can’t wait to see the snow-white sand beaches, clear water, palm tress and smell the fresh breeze of the ocean!

It took us for almost an hour to reach the Bohol Beach Club but after seeing the clear and snow-white sand our long trip going there was worth it. Let me show you a snapshot of the BoholBeachClub, Panglao Island.

We spent our whole day swimming and lying in the sand.

Day 2 will be our whole day tour in Bohol. Meaning we are going to different places in Bohol like churches, museums, lakes, etc.

Before anything else we first visited one of the churches in Bohol which was the Tagbilaran Cathedral, we stayed only for a few minutes to pray and we left. We can't take pictures inside since there was a mass.

Legazpi made friends with the Boholanos by performinga blood compact with a chief in
Bohol named Si Katuna or Katunao. They performed the rite aboard a Spanish
vessel. The two collected a few drops of blood from their
arms, mixed them with wine, and drank the mixture.

Then we proceed to the largest Python in captivity. Prony, the world’s largest phyton, lives in Upper Santa Fe, Alburquerque, Bohol.

Prony is derived from Sofronio, the owner's name. Prony, a ginormous,
24-foot reticulated python considered as the largest in captivity. Captured from Bohol's rainforests back in 1996.

The Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta), known locally as
the Mawmag in Cebuano/Visayan, is an endangered tarsier
species endemic to the Philippines. It is found in the southeastern part of the
archipelago, particularly in the provinces of Bohol, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao,
Philippines.[3] Its name is derived from its elongated "tarsus" or ankle bone.

After our picture taking with the tarsiers we went to Loboc Church which is located near the river. Attached to the building is the Museo de Loboc on the third floor. This museum houses a few old statues of saints, and some other antique religious artifacts. The second floor is the practice hall of the Loboc Children's Choir and the first floor is also a room full of history of hispanic musical tradition and folklore of Loboc.

After our tiring day and full of picture taking. We decided that it was time to have lunch at the famous Loboc River Cruise.

Loboc River Entetainment. The locals of Loboc, in another
boat, sing and dance for you, in exchange for some donations.

After our river cruise, our much awaited destination now comes. Bohol's most famous tourist attraction - The Chocolate Hills. It is composed of around 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills of about the same size, spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometres (19 sq mi). From Loboc it took us for almost 1 hour to reach the Chocolate Hills in Barangays of Sagbayan, Carmen and Sierra Bullones in the centre of Bohol Island itself.

The most common belief is they were an ancient coral limestone
reef that was shaped by many thousands of years erosion
by both water and wind. Some believe the Chocolate Hills
to be conical karst hills as seen in limestone regions of
Slovenia and Croatia, only problem is the Bohol
Chocolate Hills have no caves.

The first legend tells of two feuding giants who in battling
with each other hurled rocks, boulders and sand trying
to destroy there foe. This fighting lasted days and exhausted
the two giants. During there exhaustion they forgot about
there feud and became friends, when they left they forgot
to clean up the mess of the battlefield, hence the Chocolate Hills.

The much more romantic legend tells of a giant, once again,
called Arogo who was extremely powerful and youthful.
Arogo fell in love with Aloya who was a simple mortal.
Aloya’s death caused Arogo much pain and misery. In his
sorrow he could not stop crying, when his tears dried
the Chocolate Hills were formed.

We were so happy that finally we had seen Chocolate Hills already and now we are going back to our hotel. On our way to hotel we stopped to the last church which is the Baclayon Church.

The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in
Baclayon is considered to be one of the oldest churches in the Philippines.

My secret place and my very own World.