Task force vs mysterious disease

DAVAO. Health assistant secretary Abdullah Dumama Jr. (Photo by Wilson Lim)
DAVAO. Health assistant secretary Abdullah Dumama Jr. (Photo by Wilson Lim)

THE Department of Health (DOH) Davao Region will activate Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (EREID) task force following the mysterious pneumonia-like disease outbreak in China.

This is planned early despite having no individual suspected of having the infection yet.

Health assistant secretary Abdullah Dumama Jr. disclosed to reporters on Tuesday, January 7 that City Health Office (CHO) head Dr. Josephine Villafuerte plans to have a meeting with Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) for the possible reactivation of the task force.

“If you can remember, meron tayong tinatawag na Task Force EREID. Diba meron yong Ebola noon, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), at Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) so i-reactivate ‘yon [task force] para sa prevention,” Dumama said.

(If you can remember, we had what we called Task Force EREID. We had that during Ebola before, SARS and MERS-CoV so that task force will be reactivativated for prevention of the disease.)

The mysterious respiratory illness with unknown origin has infected dozens of people who traveled to the South China Seafood City food market in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China.

Since its spread, it has sparked fears worldwide. Thus, the health authorities elevated their measures to prevent the entry of the virus in the Philippines.

Heightened alert

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, on January 4, ordered the BOQ to further strengthen its monitoring of all incoming travelers in airports and seaports, especially those who exhibit signs of respiratory infection.

“First of all, on advisories, there’s no ban on entry to the Philippines of travelers outside the country especially China, there’s no ban yet,” Dumama said.

“Sabi ni secretary, we need to be screening and monitoring tightly ‘yong mga galing sa China especially.”

(The health secretary said that we need to be screening and monitoring tightly those who are coming from China especially.)

The BOQ said that even before the outbreak of the disease, there is already a thermal image scanner in place at the Davao International Airport to check the arrival of the people. At the same time, they have personnel who check water vessels.

Dumama added that BOQ is coordinating as well with the hospitals in Davao City should they have patients admitted manifesting clinical signs and symptoms in which the World Health Organization (WHO) said include fever, having difficulty in breathing, and chest radiographs showing invasive lesions of both lungs, especially those who recently traveled to China.

Health officials in China ruled out the unidentified form of pneumonia as likely to be SARS which broke out in 2003.

The virus has sent close to 60 individuals to hospitals but zero death has been recorded and no evidence of human-to-human transmission that has been recorded.

Meanwhile, Dumama appealed to the public to stop sharing or posting unverified reports online which might only spur panic among the public.

Consult medical professionals

Those with history of travel from China were advised to seek consultations to health facilities. BOQ is requiring the entrance in the international arrival to fill out the health declaration checklist.

“Kung may mga cough, cold, headache ganyan, galing kayo sa area na yon, you can come to us and screen kayo, temperature lang naman. Kung alam niyong galing kayo doon, pumunta nalang kayo sa mga health authorities kung meron kayong signs and symptoms,” Dumama said.

(If you have cough, cold, headache, then you came from that area, you can come to us and have a screening, just for temperature. If you know you came there, go to health authorities if you have the signs and symptoms.)

Health authorities, meanwhile, advised the public to observe a healthy lifestyle, practice proper hand hygiene, do regular exercise, eat the right food, and avoid crowded places to prevent acquiring infectious diseases.

Direct flight from Davao to China

XiamenAir, an airline based in Fujian Province in China, has been carrying passengers twice weekly from the city to Quanzhou, China, and vice versa with their flight MF8679 since December 18, 2018, using their airbus Boeing 737-800.

Based on the map data of Google 2020 from Wuhan City to Quanzhou City, it takes 11 hours and 26-minute ride via G70 with 962.2-kilometer distance.

The Bureau of Immigration Davao District Office alien control officer Sittie Rizminh Alonto told SunStar Davao that according to their data on visa extension, there are more than 2,000 Chinese nationals who were listed in their office. This data, he said, may still change as they are still awaiting the final and complete statistics from their main office in the National Capital Region.

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