"Flesh-eating disease" in Pangasinan not true

According to Pangasinan Health Office, there is no truth to reports that there is a mysterious disease in the province.

Together with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the provincial health office went to the reported male and female residents of Pangasinan that allegedly have "flesh-eating disease."

Their findings showed that Claire, the 21-year-old female resident of Santa Barbara who has wounds all over her face and body, has Hansen's Disease or leprosy. The 21-year old male named Joseph who is from another town, meanwhile, has psoriasis.

They found out that Claire first had a check-up in 2011 together with her two other siblings. Her siblings have then since healed, while her case worsened from rashes to wounds that are now all over her body. She stopped taking medication because her body could not take the side effects of the medicines.

Joseph's, on the other hand, is a case of psoriasis which he possibly got from working as a trimmer at a foam factory. Psoriasis is not an infectious disease but can be inherited. It cannot be cured but can be controlled.

Dr. Anna De Guzman of the Pangasinan Health Office together with provincial information officer Butch Velasco faced the media in a press conference on Tuesday to dismiss the rumors that there's such thing as a "flesh-eating disease" in their province.

"Wala pong katotohanan na kumakalat po ang sakit po na ito sa ating bayan, sa ating probinsiya. Wala din po kaming nakakahawang sakit dito po sa ating probinsiya," De Guzman said.

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