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.
Source: www.philstar.com
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