APEC delegate with sore eyes deplaned

CEBU, Philippines - A local delegate of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings here was prevented from travelling to Manila Wednesday after having contracted sore eyes because of conjunctivitis, a communicable disease.

Provincial health officer Mario Joyag confirmed that airport personnel ordered the female delegate to disembark the plane Wednesday morning when they noticed that her eyes were red.

Nonetheless, the delegate was able to attend the gatherings here in Cebu City, Joyag said.

Joyag also said though the delegate was advised to stay here and have rest for two more days, she will be allowed to travel, possibly today, if she shows signs of improvement.

Medical personnel at the airport were the first to check the delegate’s condition. She reportedly contacted the APEC Operation Center, headed by the regional office of the Department of Health, worried that she might stay longer in Cebu.

Joyag’s team was then mobilized to provide medical assistance to the delegate.

During the checkup, Joyag said, the local delegate was found to be suffering from sore eyes for two days already.

“Among gi-double check pud. Pula pa man gyud. Natagaan na siya og initial medication. Naa lang mi gi-add on kay hubag na man gud iyang mata,” he said.

“Hopefully by tomorrow (Friday), makalarga na siya, depende sa iyang res-ponse sa tambal,” he said.

This is the first time the team was deployed to look into a case of delegate suffering from the disease.

Asked if there are other delegates having the same illness, Joyag said they cannot determine so since the DOH Operation Center is the one responsible for consolidating the reports from all medical teams.

But the provincial officer said they have also catered to local and foreign APEC delegates who have been suffering from common respiratory infections due to the changing weather.

“Common man pud na pero dili ingon nga grabe,” he said.

Joyag advised the public, especially the APEC delegates and personnel, to maintain proper hygiene by doing simple measures such as frequent handwashing. 

Earlier, the Police Regional Office-7 pulled out at least nine policemen who were part of the augmentation force deployed in three Cebu cities hosting the APEC meetings after they were diagnosed with conjunctivitis, which causes sore eyes.

Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the conjunctiva. The conjunctiva is the thin clear tissue that lies over the white part of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelid.

Traffic talk

Meanwhile, heavy traffic was never a concern yesterday when APEC delegates resumed their tour to the Cebu City downtown area.

The worst the traffic in the city could get was a moderate flow at the Fuente Osmeña rotunda all the way to N. Escario Street, said Cebu City Transportation Office chief Jonathan Tumulak.

Traffic was only moderate as vehicles still went moving.

“Moderate lang kay kun moingon ta’g heavy traffic, dili na kairog ang mga sakyanan pero gairog man gihapon ang mga sakyanan diha dapita. Baga lang gyud ang mga nagdagan nga sakyanan,” Tumulak said.

The city’s traffic authorities imposed minor changes on the normal traffic schemes as advised by the local APEC organizers.

Despite the on-the-spot rerouting, however, CCTO was able to manage the flow of vehicles since there were enough personnel deployed on the field, Tumulak explained.

The delegates yesterday went to see the famous heritage places in the city such as the Magellan’s Cross, Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, Fort San Pedro, Yap-San Diego Ancestral House, and the Heritage of Cebu Monument, among others.

There was light traffic encountered during the start of the tour when the delegates traversed from one site to the next, Tumulak said, as vehicles were diverted away from the sites’ lanes.

Same as the Wednesday tour, only the corner of Mabini Street and Colon Street was closed temporarily for about 30 minutes.

Tumulak said they had encountered “manageable problems” with the moderate traffic from Fuente Osmeña Circle to the Provincial Capitol, then proceeding to the N. Escario Street.

From Sacred Heart Church passing Gorordo Boulevard going to I.T. Park, Tumulak described the traffic flow as light already.

The APEC convoys, comprising of 12 buses and vans, were prioritized by CCTO personnel deployed on the main intersections and priority lanes, thus the tour ended without hitches.  (FREEMAN)