This Holy Month of Ramadhan, people that are blessed truly become blessings to others. This is true about what the Haji Rafique Foundation is currently doing in Muslim communities in the country.
Giving food packs and relief goods to brethren in the faith and non-Muslims alike is the attitude that is pleasant in the eyes of the Almighty Allah (SWT). Coincided with the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, the foundation recently gave relief goods to the Garden Mosque in Maharlika Village in Taguig.
And from Taguig which is in Luzon, the foundation also reached out to Davao Del Sur to give through the Muslim Religious Leaders of Sitio Tacub, Sta. Cruz. The generous contributions were shared with the communities 95% Tausug inhabitants together with tribes like Bangingi and Sama and with Christian brethren.
Their humanitarian efforts were assisted by Bro. Jadjurie Arasa, Chairman of the Taguig Muslim Consultative Council. The leaders who were present in Davao Del Sur who has express their gratitude were Panglima Nul Indanan, Imam Usman Indanan and Bilal Nawadil Adjal with Mars Sarahadil.
The leaders pray that Allah (SWT) would continuously bless the people behind the HRF with health, wealth and success in all their noble undertakings. With details from Bro. Jadjurie Arasa of the TMCC and DZMJ Online’s Mj Balaguer.///Abdul malik Bin Ismail, +639262261791, abdulmalikbinismail6875@gmail.com
###
VCO CLINICAL STUDIES BY DOST, UP-PGH, AND PCA
This research of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on virgin coconut oil (VCO) is planned to have two arms: one hospital-based and one community-based.
For the hospital based, the study entitled, “Virgin Coconut Oil and Omega-3a Adjunctive Therapy for Hospitalized Patients with COVID 19” will be conducted at the Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) and will be led by Dr. Marissa Alejandria. The VCO will serve as a supplement to the daily treatment regimen of the COVID-19 positive patients. The study aims to assess the possible benefits of VCO if given to patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 in addition to the drugs being assessed in the clinical trials. This arm may possibly run for a minimum of one month or until the minimum number of patients have been achieved. This is in cooperation with the DOST and the UP-PGH Clinical COVID-19 Research Group and the Metro Manila Health Research and Development Consortium of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST PCHRD).
Parallel to this will be the research for the COVID-19 Persons Under Investigation (PUIs) which will be conducted at isolation facilities in communities and hospitals in National Capital Region and Region IV-A in collaboration with DOST CALABARZON and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
The Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) will take the lead in the community-based study and will incorporate VCO in the food provided to the PUIs. The study aims to assess the possible benefits provided by VCO for patients with COVID-19 as well as contacts and other high-risk groups. The project team is planning to conduct the same to their previous intervention studies and the dietary supplementation may possibly run for at least 4 weeks. The study will be done in cooperation with the DOST-PCHRD and the Philippine Coconut Authority.
—————————————————————-Working FASSSTER than COVID-19: Get to know the people behind the technology
When the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) hit the Philippines early this year, the Ateneo Center for Computing Competency and Research (ACCCRe) of Ateneo de Manila University in collaboration with the University of the Philippines Manila – National Telehealth Center (UP-NTHC), the Department of Health-Epidemiology Bureau and the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) recalibrated the Feasibility Analysis of Syndromic Surveillance using Spatio-temporal Epidemiological Modeler or FASSSTER to enable forecasting of estimate number of COVID-19 cases in specific areas for specific period of time, in line with the area’s health capacity. With the recalibration, FASSSTER was able to provide an evidence-based tool to the DoH, local government units (LGUs) and other healthcare facilities to mitigate potential risks brought by COVID-19 and maximize the allocation of healthcare resources
DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Dr. Jaime C. Montoya assures the reliability of the predictions from this tool. He said, “FASSSTER was never made overnight. Developed since 2016, this tool is a product of rigorous studies and composed of credible and updated data.. Long before COVID19, this tool was already used in the surveillance of Dengue, Measles, and Typhoid.”
Initially used for Dengue, Typhoid Fever and Measles, FASSSTER is utilized for visualizing disease models and generating syndromic surveillance reports during public health crises. From 2016 to 2019, the application was deployed for use in 17 Rural Health Units (RHUs) across the country. Specifically, FASSSTER connects syndromic surveillance and event surveillance from the field to an electronic medical record, uses health information to improve on initial disease models and provides a visualization tool for decision making.
The implementation of FASSSTER and its recalibration for COVID-19 is made possible through the efforts of several teams in ADMU, namely: the Data Science and Computational Modelling Team, Mathematical Modelling Team, Data Management Team, Data Warehouse Team, Systems Development Team, and the Public Health Team. Each team is led by notable professors and scientists:
1. Dr. Maria Regina E. Estuar is the team leader of FASSSTER and the Data Science and Computational Modelling Team. She is a professor at the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science at ADMU. She also serves as the Executive Director of the Ateneo Center for Computing Competency and Research (ACCCRE) and is the founder of the Ateneo Social Computing Science Laboratory. In 2019, she bagged the Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service Award for Science and Technology from TOWNS Republic of the Philippines DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PHILIPPINE COUNCIL FOR HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Foundation Inc. for her significant contributions in strengthening the country’s S&T capacity.
2. Dr. Elvira de Lara-Tuprio is an expert in disease modeling through differential equations and financial mathematics, with focus on financial derivatives and risk management. She is in charge of FASSSTER’s Mathematical Modelling Team. Currently, she works as an Associate Professor for the Mathematics Department of ADMU.
3. Dr. Marlene M. De Leon is the team leader of the Data Management Team of FASSSTER. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science of ADMU and manages Quality Assurance of Data and Information at the University.
4. Dr. Raymond Francis R. Sarmiento leads the Data Warehouse Team of FASSSTER. Currently, he works as the Director of the National Telehealth Center of the UP National Institutes of Health (UPNIH). He is also a Balik Scientist of the DOST who specializes in clinical and public health informatics and health data science, among others. In 2019, Dr. Sarmiento was recognized as an Outstanding Young Scientist in public health informatics by the National Academy of Science and Technology.
5. Mr. Christian Pulmano leads the Systems Development Team of FASSSTER. He works full-time as part of the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science of ADMU. He is also the head of the Ateneo Block Chain Laboratory (formerly AMBERLab) which received the Recognition of Excellence Award by OpenGov Asia in 2019. He is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of BluEHR, a spin-off product from ACCCRe.
6. Dr. Norbie Mendoza leads the Epidemiology and Public Health Team of FASSSTER. He specializes in the field of health and medical informatics.
The development of FASSSTER is part of the DOST-PCHRD’s projects under the Information and Communications Technology in Health priority area which aims to advance the country’s telehealth services and systems and public health surveillance, among others. Committed to making lives better for the Filipino, the DOST-PCHRD supports the development of health and health-related research projects outlined by the DOST’s Harmonized National Research and Development Agenda (HNRDA) and the National Unified Health Research and Development Agenda (NUHRA). (PCHRD S&T Media Service)