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In their recently released guidelines, the American Health Association has announced the redefinition of high blood pressure. It states that “high blood pressure is now defined as readings of 130 mm Hg and higher for the systolic blood pressure measurement, or readings of 80 and higher for the diastolic measurement.” This limit adjustment from 140/90 to 130/80 is due to the country’s recognition that complications can occur at those lower numbers. The moment a person achieves a 130/80 reading, he/she has already doubles their risk for cardiovascular complications. The normal limit for blood pressure is now lowered to 120/80. The AHA hopes that this alteration will promote lifestyle adjustments at an earlier stage for those at risk. Paul Whelton, the lead author of the guidelines, said, “We want to be straight with people – if you already have a doubling of risk, you need to know about it.” 35 Million Filipinos with Hypertension The Philippine’s Department of Health has yet to decide if we’re to adapt these new guidelines. Currently, 25 million Filipinos are hypertensive. If we’re to follow the USA’s revised classification, 10 million more Filipinos would be categorized as hypertensive. This would bring the Filipino hypertensive population to 35 million. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III had recently voiced out his personal support for the limit adjustment. He clarified that “it does not necessarily mean that the diagnosed person with a 130/80 reading must immediately resort to medication. There are many healthy lifestyle interventions that could be adapted to prevent the rising of blood pressure.” His sentiments were echoed by Dr. Anthony Leachon, cardiologist and president of Manila Doctors Hospital. “The age group that are at risk of hypertension is getting younger and younger. A lot of the patients that went through a weight gain now experience a rise in cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and a whole lot more complications.” He emphasized the importance of proper education on hypertension. To lower the risk for hypertension it is advised to have regular blood pressure checks. This is especially important for those who have diabetes, heart disease, or a family history of high blood. Salty foods and vices should also be avoided. A half an hour’s worth of exercise every day can effectively aid in normalizing blood pressure levels.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III revealed last November 27, 2017 that Filipinos are more likely to have cellphones than toilets. He shared this troubling statistics during DOH’s World Toilet Day celebration. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, 70% of families have functioning toilets. In comparison, 85% claim to have their own cellphones. Presently, 7 million Filipinos still practice open defecation. Lotta Sylwander of the UN Children’s Fund stated that this practice increases the risk of frequent diarrhea, worm infections, and undernoursihment for everyone in the community, especially the children. That’s why open conversations about the topic is encouraged. “Sanitation is not a pleasant dinner conversation but it should be talked about,” Sylwander said. Government Response One talking point she had suggested was the DOH’s ‘Goodbye, Dumi! Hello, Healthy!’ campaign. The said project was launched in 2014 and encouraged households to build their own toilet system at home. Duque stated that simply giving away toilets would be insufficient. “When our governors and mayors give toilets for free, household heads should also invest their time and resources, however limited they may be, in building their own toilet facilities.” He then compared how we treat our own phones. “We take care of it because the money we used to buy it came from our own pockets. That should also be the case for our own toilets.” The “Goodbye, Dumi! Hello, Health!” campaign reached out to select rural areas. First implemented in Masbate, the campaign hopes to spread nationwide on 2018. For the communities that went through the project, toilet coverage went from 58% to 85% in just six months. The DOH hopes that the nationwide implementation would reach success as well and achieve zero open-defecation status in all barangays by 2022.