As DOH assures no cases here: Ebola “watch” for int’l flights

CEBU, Philippines - The Bureau of Quarantine-7 is now on heightened alert for all international flights due to the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in Africa.

“We have a directive from our head office that all passengers and crew in all international flights na gyud ang among i-monitor ug hatagan og checklist,” said BOQ-7 acting chief Dr. Terence Bermejo.

Bermejo said this is unlike the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus (MERS-Cov) emergency where they only monitored passengers arriving from Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Cebu has no direct flight from Africa but Bermejo said there maybe some passengers from other countries who may come from Africa.

“That is why, in our checklist, we required passengers on board the flight to list where they are ten to 14 days prior to their flight before disembarkation,” said Bermejo.

“We cannot take chances because Ebola is deadly,” Bermejo added.

At the Mactan Cebu International Airport, BOQ-7 has installed a thermal camera that can detect passengers who have abnormal body temperature.

“So kung among makita nga naa ni fever ang usa ka pasahero, mao gyud ‘ning imbitahon for further questioning. So far, wa man ‘tay na obserbahan nga possible naa’y Ebola virus. We are still Ebola-free,” he said.

Bermejo also said that the chance of contacting Ebola virus is a remote possibility considering that most of those who were infected by the virus are health workers in Africa whose patients have also contracted the virus.

Despite this, Bermejo said, they are still on heightened alert, and not just over Ebola virus but also MERS-Cov.

Next week, he said that they will hire four more nurses at the airport on top of their existing manpower. They currently have six nurses and five doctors.

Bermejo added that on Sundays and Thursdays, there are usually 20 international flights and at least 15 on other days from countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, China, Japan and Korea.

The Department of Health, in a press statement released the other day, said that country is still Ebola-free but strictly urged any returning Filipino manifesting fever, headache, intense weakness, joint and muscle pains and sore throat to seek clearance with local health authorities from the country of employment before being allowed to embark in order to prevent the entry of Ebola virus into the country.

Ebola is a severe, infectious, often fatal disease in humans and primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees) caused by infection from the Ebola virus.

DOH said that Ebola can be transmitted through close contact with blood secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals, body fluids and stool of an infected person, through contaminated needles and soiled linen used by infected patients, or direct contact with the body of a deceased person.

Signs and symptoms of infection with Ebola virus include fever, headache, intense weakness, joint and muscle pains, and sore throat.

This is followed by vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding; sometimes, rashes, red eyes, hiccups, and bleeding from body openings may be seen in some patients.

The DOH advised suspected cases to be taken immediately to the nearest health facility for medical attention. Severe cases require intensive supportive care.

“At present, there is no specific treatment or vaccine yet available,” the statement read. —/BRP (FREEMAN)