As the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the pandemic alert level to 5 due to the escalating swine flu cases abroad, Department of Health (DoH) Secretary Francisco T. Duque said Thursday he will allocate P10 million for the procurement of additional supplies of antiviral drug Tamiflu as part of the DoH emergency preparedness plan.

Duque said the additional antiviral medicines will ensure that the DoH is well-equipped to handle possible cases of the deadly swine flu.

There are currently 600,000 capsules of Tamiflu in the DoH warehouse that can cater to 60,000 humans if needed.

Though some were set to expire last May 2009, drug maker and Tamiflu donor United Laboratories (Unilab) has certified that the drugs in stock can be extended to another 36 to 40 months. Duque has also ordered the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) to validate the result of the test.

“It’s not an issue of ordering too much and not having used them (Tamiflu). This is insurance…If the pandemic occurs and we don’t have anything what will happen?” Duque said.

The health chief has received reports of persons stockpiling on Tamiflu and has advised against this practice. “If people will just Tamiflu without doctor’s prescription, the danger of self-medication is there. If you self-medicate, there is a tendency that you do not take the complete dosage. You will develop resistance to medicines. Once the virus proliferates, the virus will be resistant to Oseltamivir (Tamiflu).”

The Philippine Health Insurance Co. (Philhealth) has also formulated a P75,000 package for swine flu patients.

Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General said all countries should activate their pandemic preparedness plans that include heightened surveillance, early detection and treatment of cases, and infection control in all health facilities.

In a command conference held Thursday, Duque ordered regional and local hospital officials to mount their response strategies for possible cases of swine flu in the country.

The health chief has also tightened the anti-swine flu measures by instituting seven lines of defense against the deadly virus.