President Aquino tasks DOH to form task force
MERS-CoV to inform the public of communicable disease
President Benigno S. Aquino III has instructed
the Department of Health (DOH) to mobilize a task force to create a heightened
awareness among the public on the Middle East Respirator Syndrome-Corona Virus
(MERS-CoV).
In a televised press conference on Saturday,
Health Secretary Enrique Ona said the DOH is working closely with all concerned
government agencies to ensure public health and safety.
Secretary Ona, however, pointed out that there
is no epidemec or outbreak of the MERS-CoV.
“Upon the President’s instructions, the Department
of Health has mobilized Task Force MERS or Middle East Respiratory
Syndrome-Corona Virus to create a heightened awareness among our people and
prevent the spread of this communicable disease,” the secretary said.
“At the outset, let me point this out: there is
still no epidemic or outbreak of MERS-Corona Virus in the Middle East or the
Arabian Peninsula. That is why the World Health Organization has not imposed
restrictions in travel to and from the Middle East,” he added.
As a precaution, Secretary Ona said he approved
the issuance of Bureau of Quarantine alert bulletins to those travelling from
the Middle East and through the international airports.
The Health Secretary said Task Force MERS-CoV
continues to trace and test all the passengers of Etihad Airlines flight EY
0424 that arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on April 15.
One of the more than 400 passengers of the
Etihad flight, a male Filipino nurse tested positive for the MERS-CoV when he
was still in the United Arab Emirates.
The DOH tracked this “Index Passenger” while he
was on his way home and requested his relatives and well-wishers to subject
themselves to testing and medical observation at a DOH regional hospital.
Secretary Ona said the “Index Passenger” tested
negative for the virus based on the findings of the examination conducted by
the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
Ona, however, pointed out that the other
passengers who travelled with the “Index Passenger” were still considered at
risk. Thus, the secretary urged the other passengers of the Etihad flight to
submit themselves to testing.
“May I emphasize this important fact: the
MERS-Corona Virus is a communicable disease that may be passed on to others
through exposure or close contact with a positive carrier,” he said.
“Hence, all those who travelled with our Index
Passenger are still deemed to be at risk, especially if we consider further
that they all came from the Middle East, a high-risk area, and that the
incubation period for this disease is up to 14 days. Hence, to rule out any
possibility of infection, we strongly urge all of the other passengers of EY
0424 to immediately submit themselves to testing,” he said.
Secretary Ona said that of the 414 passengers of
Etihad flight EY 0424, the DOH has been able to trace and contact 119 of them,
of whom 72 have been tested. Of the 72 passengers, 40 tested negative.
Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, DOH Program Manager on
Emerging Infectious Diseases, said the DOH continues to trace and contact the
other passengers of the Etihad flight. He also emphasized that there is no
epedimec or outbreak of MERS-CoV in the country.
The DOH also calls the attention of Filipinos
who have returned recently from the Middle East to report to the nearest
hospital if they experience flu-like symptoms, such as fever, cough, cold, and
sneezing.
Secretary Ona also assured the public that the
DOH is working closely with concerned government agencies, and will exert
“maximum efforts” to keep them informed of the vital developments.
“On instructions of the President, the DOH is
working closely with all concerned government agencies to ensure the health and
safety of our people,” the secretary said during a televised press conference.
“The Deaprtment of Health assures our people,
especially our overseas Filipino workers based in the Middle East and their
families and communities, that government will exert maximum efforts to keep
you informed and aware of all vital developments,” he added.
The Department of Health has also established
24-hour hotlines for the public. The telephone numbers are: 711-1001; 711-1002;
0922-884-1564; 0920-949-8419; 0915-772-5621. PND (co)
