Isang malaking problema na naman ang pagtaas ng bilihin sa mga pampublikong pamilihan para sa mga mamamayan. Naitala noong Hunyo 2018 ang pinakamataas na inflation sa buong bansa. Sa tuwing tumataas ang mga bilihin ay nawawalan ng kapasidad ang ilang mamamayan sa pagpuno ng kanilang mga pangangailangan.

Isa ang bayan ng Sta. Maria Bulacan sa naapektuhan ng pagtaas ng mga bilihin. Ang mga pangunahing naapektuhan nito ay ang mga nagtitinda at mamimili. Isa ang Sta. Maria Public Market sa mga malalaking pamilihan sa lungsod ng Bulacan.

Ako ay mayroong nakapanayam na isa sa mga naapektuhan ng pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin na si ginoong Alvin Dela Cruz. Ayon sa aking panayam kay Alvin Dela Cruz, labis umano na nakakaapekto sa mahirap ang pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin. Marahil ay mas maliit ang sahod nila kaysa sa iba.

Tumataas nga ang presyo ng mga bilihin ngunit ang sahod ng mga mamamayan ay nananatiling maliit lalo na sa mga ordinaryong mamamayan ng Sta. Maria Bulacan. Marahil sa ito ay probinsya hindi nabibigyan ng mataas o sapat na trabaho ang mga mamamayan. Kaya naman kapag tumataas ang presyo ng mga bilihin ay labis silang naaapektuhan.

Ctto: rappler.com :Shows that the number of filipino households that consider themselves hungry increased

Annual average hunger further eased last year as fewer Filipino families reported experiencing hunger in the last three months of 2019, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The survey, taken from Dec. 13 to 16, showed that some 2.1 million Filipino families, equivalent to a rate of 8.8 percent, said they experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the last three months, down by 0.3 points from September’s 9.1 percent or an estimated 2.3 million families.

The decrease in hunger in the fourth quarter of 2019 amid the earlier reported higher self-rated poverty rate—up 12 points to 54 percent during the same period—was due to the lower hunger incidence among both the self-rated poor and self-rated nonpoor families, SWS noted.

The fourth quarter hunger rate brought the annual average in 2019 to 9.3 percent, a decrease from 10.8 percent in 2018. Annual average hunger has been steadily falling since 2013 when it recovered from a record-high 19.9 percent in 2011 and 2012.

Annual average poverty, meanwhile, eased from 48 percent in 2018 to 45 percent in 2019.Among the self-rated poor, hunger fell from 14 percent in September to 12.8 percent in December while among nonpoor hunger went down from 5.6 percent to 4.1 percent.

The noncommissioned survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The SWS asked the respondents in Filipino: “In the last three months, did it happen even once that your family experienced hunger and did not have anything to eat?” Those who answered in the affirmative were further asked: “Did it happen ‘only once,’ ‘a few times,’ ‘often’ or ‘always?’”

Experiencing hunger “only once” or “a few times” is classified as “moderate hunger,” while going hungry “often” or “always” is rated as “severe hunger.”The percentage of those who said they experienced “moderate hunger” was 7.3 percent in December from 7.4 percent in September while the proportion of those who claimed they experienced “severe hunger” was 1.5 percent from 1.7 percent in September.

Hunger in Luzon outside Metro Manila declined in the fourth quarter while upticks were recorded in other areas.

In Luzon outside Metro Manila, hunger fell 1.8 points from 8.1 percent to 6.3 percent.

Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds that include diarrhea in cows and pigs, and upper respiratory disease in chickens. In humans, the virus causes respiratory infections, which are often mild, but are potentially lethal. There are no vaccines or antiviral drugs that are approved for prevention or treatment.

The virus(corona virus) were first discovered in the 1960s. The earliest ones discovered were infectious bronchitis virus in chickens and two nasal cavities of human patients with the common cold that were subsequently named “human coronavirus 229E” and “human coronavirus OC43”.

Symptoms

Common human coronaviruses, including types 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1, usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold. Most people get infected with these viruses at some point in their lives. These illnesses usually only last for a short amount of time. Symptoms may include

• runny nose
• headache
• cough
• sore throat
• fever
• a general feeling of being unwell

Human coronaviruses can sometimes cause lower-respiratory tract illnesses, such as pneumonia or bronchitis. This is more common in people with cardiopulmonary disease, people with weakened immune systems, infants, and older adults.

Diagnosis

Your healthcare provider may order laboratory tests on respiratory specimens and serum (part of your blood) to detect human coronaviruses. Laboratory testing is more likely to be used if you have severe disease or are suspected of having MerSIf you are experiencing symptoms, you should tell your healthcare provider about any recent travel or contact with animals. Most MERS-CoV infections have been reported from countries in the Arabian Peninsula. Therefore reporting a travel history or contact with camels or camel products is very important when trying to diagnose MERS.

Transmission

Human coronaviruses most commonly spread from an infected person to others through

• the air by coughing and sneezing
• close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
• touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands
• rarely, fecal contamination

In the United States, people usually get infected with common human coronaviruses in the fall and winter. However, you can get infected at any time of the year. Most people will get infected with one or more of the common human coronaviruses in their lifetime. Young children are most likely to get infected. However, people can have multiple infections in their lifetimePrevention

How to protect yourself:

There are currently no vaccines available to protect you against human coronavirus infection. You may be able to reduce your risk of infection by doing the following

• wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
• avoid close contact with people who are sick

How to protect others:

If you have cold-like symptoms, you can help protect others by doing the following

• stay home while you are sick
• avoid close contact with others
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands
• clean and disinfect objects and surfaces

Treatment

There are no specific treatments for illnesses caused by human coronaviruses. Most people with common human coronavirus illness will recover on their own. However, you can do some things to relieve your symptoms

• take pain and fever medications (Caution: do not give Aspirin to children)
• use a room humidifier or take a hot shower to help ease a sore throat and cough

If you are mildly sick, you should

• drink plenty of liquids
• stay home and rest

If you are concerned about your symptoms, you should see your healthcare provider.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton