Gov’t working to prevent Ebola spread in Phl

MANILA, Philippines - The government is exerting all efforts to prevent the entry of the Ebola virus into the country, Malacañang assured the public yesterday.

Press Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said all concerned agencies led by the Department of Health (DOH) have been tasked to monitor the spread of the virus.

Coloma said the DOH has laid out plans through a coordinated effort under a “multi-sectoral response plan.”

Coloma cited the recent holding of the country’s first National Ebola Virus Disease Summit in Quezon City.

The summit discussed interim guidelines for disease surveillance; notification and reporting of suspected Ebola cases; clinical management, including laboratory testing of specimens from suspected cases; and infection control.

The Philippines so far remains Ebola-free even if there have been 18 persons who may have come in contact with infected persons in Western Africa. All of them tested negative for the virus.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona has also designated the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) as the “national referral center for emerging and reemerging infectious diseases.”  

“The RITM would be the center for research and testing where they would use the latest technology from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” Coloma said.

Ona said they are looking for more sophisticated machines to easily detect and prevent the entry of Ebola in the country.

He said the DOH is ready to upgrade the thermal scanners if necessary.                 – With Mayen Jaymalin