Gov’t Won’t Let its Guard Down vs. Ebola

Manila (PNA) — With five of the seven returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Ebola-stricken Sierra Leone now cleared from the deadly virus, government still won’t let its guard down in Ebola spread prevention.

Apart from Sierra Leone, West African countries with the highest death toll due to Ebola include Guinea and Liberia. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported over 900 deaths to date.

To recall, the inter-agency task force—composed of the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)–has kept close watch on at least 15 OFWs who arrived June 26 to July 15 from Sierra Leone.

Last August 8, the DOH allowed five of seven being monitored for Ebola discharged after the 30-day incubation period. None of them showed symptoms; the remaining two remain under observation.

The task force’s protocol will begin with the airports where passengers entering the country through the country’s main airports will be thoroughly screened for Ebola.

The DOH has earlier expressed its confidence that the country’s airports are well-equipped to detect Ebola, which has recently been declared by the WHO as an “international health emergency.”

It also noted the country has the necessary facility to contain the disease and is closely monitoring development in the use of experimental treatment against Ebola abroad.

Passengers coming from Ebola-stricken nations were also required by the DOH to fully fill out immigration arrival cards to help the task force in tracking down passengers at risk of contacting the disease.

Using thermal scanners, detected symptomatic passengers will immediately be brought to the Bureau of Quarantine (BQ) and later treated at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) to contain the virus’ possible spread.

The RITM noted that symptomatic OFWs will be brought to negative pressure rooms where blood samples will be taken and tested for Ebola.

Since August 5, the task force has also temporarily banned the deployment of OFWs in Ebola-stricken countries.

As for Filipinos who remain to live and work overseas, the DOLE’s Philippine Overseas Employment Association (POEA) has tapped recruitment agencies to report on the status of their employees on a weekly basis.

They, in turn, should coordinate with their recruitment agencies in assessing the risk of the spread of the epidemic in their places of deployment.

For its part, the DFA continues to disseminate information to OFWs about the virus, particularly on prevention measures to observe including proper hand-washing among others.

The DFA has also raised Alert Level 2 for Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Data from the DFA show there are about 880 Filipinos living in Guinea, 1,979 in Sierra Leone and 632 in Liberia, including the 148 Filipino UN Peacekeeping Force.

On the other hand, POEA said that in their records, there are 72 in Guinea, 398 in Sierra Leone and 202 Filipino workers in Liberia.

The DOH noted that the group most at risk to contract Ebola infection are health care and laboratory workers who may be exposed to secretions and specimens from infected individuals.

However, their family members and those in close contact with those who are sick can also become infected.

To prevent contracting the disease, the DOH reminded health and lab workers to avoid close contact with infected patients; avoid consumption of the raw meat of possible infected animals; wear gloves and appropriate personal protective equipment when taking care of ill patients at home; and wash hands after visiting sick relatives in the hospital and after taking care of ill patients at home. (PNA) CTB/ANP

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