By: Jet Villa, InterAksyon.com February 25, 2014 4:36 PM

Health Secretary Ona: categorically shoots down fears of "flesh-eating" disease.

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines Ignorance and panic often make the worst combination in cases of a mystery disease and the latest example of how misinformation can fan paranoia and deepen the suffering of people is found in Pangasinan, where fears that flesh-eating bacteria similar to that reported in the US have spread lately.

Moving to stem the panic, the Department of Health (DOH) shot down Tuesday rumors about a "flesh-eating" skin disease, following reports of two suspected cases in Pangasinanone in Villasis town, another in Sta. Barbara.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona was categorical: "There is no reported case of 'flesh-eating' skin disease in the country yet. Absolutely no reason for the public to panic.

In the first case, Pangasinan Rep. Kimi Cojuangco took to Twitter to allay fears after consulting with local health officials familiar with the case of a young man in Villasis town whose family was given many different diagnoses. The man, called Joseph in a TV report, suffers from an acute episode of psoriasis, a chronic skin disease characterized by red patches covered with white scales, as a result of an abnormally rapid way the skin cells grow. In severe cases, it could be associated with or complicate other ailments like arthritis or gout, or immune disorders.

Kimi Cojuangco tweeted at 3 in the afternoon of Tuesday: re the so called plague in Pangasinan.The male patient in Villasis has a very bad case of Erithrodermic Psoriasis and proceeded to share the image of a patient with this ailment that she said she had googled from a medical website and whose manifestations look exactly the same as the Villasis man: pic.twitter.com/0EfZsmMdO7"

Psoriasis is one of the least-understood diseases and one of the countrys foremost experts, Makati Medical Centers Dr. Vermen Verallo-Rowell of the VMV line of hypoallergenics, has spent the past three decades explaining it to people. In an earlier interview with an InterAksyon.com editor, Verallo said people should understand these basic things about psoriasis: one, it is NOT contagious; that episodes are often triggered by changes in weather or climate, stress and too much of the wrong foods; that psoriasis patients need to be in clean surroundings where they wont be at risk of infection; that psoriatic sufferers can lead normal lives especially if they have the support group of family, friends and a community that understands the disease.

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EPIDEMIC OF PANIC | Feared 'flesh-eating disease' in Pangasinan a bad case of psoriasis - DOH