Sick peacekeeper airlifted from island

MANILA, Philippines - Another Filipino peacekeeper under quarantine on Caballo Island in Cavite has been airlifted to a hospital in Quezon City after complaining of chest pain.

The unnamed peacekeeper, who came from the Ebola-infested West African state of Liberia, was brought Monday night to the AFP Medical Center for further examination.

Last week, another peacekeeper had to be isolated from the rest of his colleagues on Caballo Island because of sore throat.

Earlier, a third peacekeeper was airlifted to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City due to fever and chilling. He was later diagnosed as suffering from malaria.

He returned to Caballo last Friday morning after being discharged from RITM.

Four Filipino peacekeepers left behind in Liberia to oversee the shipping of their equipment from Monrovia returned last Saturday and were made to undergo the mandatory 21-day quarantine, not on Caballo Island but at the AFP Medical Center.

Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, AFP Public Affairs Office chief, confirmed the presence of the four peacekeepers at the main military hospital, but declined to discuss why they were being quarantined separately from their colleagues on Caballo, an island naval base.

“They were taken to V. Luna and they are all staying in one room,” Cabunoc said, referring to the four peacekeepers who arrived at 11 p.m. Saturday in Manila on a commercial fight.

The four were also given clearance to travel after being declared “risk-free” after undergoing a United Nations-supervised Ebola virus screening. They went straight from the airport to the hospital to undergo quarantine procedures in accordance with instructions from the Department of the Health (DOH).

Col. Roberto Ancan, commander of the AFP Peacekeeping Operation Center (AFP-POC), said the AFP is following DOH instruction that the four be quarantined at the main military hospital in Quezon City.

“With regard to quarantine procedure and the duration of their stay at (AFP-MC), it is already beyond us as it is now within the domain of DOH. The DOH can answer other questions,” Ancan said.

Earlier, acting Health Secretary Janette Garin drew flak for violating the DOH’s own protocol by visiting the 133 troops on Caballo without protective suit, along with AFP chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang. She said she made the visit to assure the soldiers of DOH support. She assured the public she could not get infected since none of the soldiers had shown signs of infection anyway.