MANILA, Philippines - Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said yesterday that there is no need to heighten contingency measures against Influenza A(H1N1) despite the declaration by US President Barack Obama of a national emergency over the pandemic.
Duque said the Philippines has not let its guard down against A(H1N1) and it “does not make sense to be in a state of hyper alertness.”
He added that there is no evidence of a second wave of the A(H1N1) virus in the country.
“I’m confident that the systems are in place. We have the containment measures, we have the rehabilitation measures which are incorporated in the guidelines we have formulated in response to A(H1N1),” he said in a press briefing.
Department of Health records show that as of Oct. 17, the total number of A(H1N1) cases in the Philippines had reached 5,212, including 30 deaths.
Duque said the ratio of the death toll to the total number of confirmed cases is less than one percent, lower than the global case fatality ratio of 1.2 percent, he said.
Duque also reiterated that A(H1N1)-related deaths in the country involved patients with pre-existing medical conditions.
Obama had declared a national emergency for A(H1N1) in the United States to make decision-making regarding the pandemic faster.
Duque added that Obama’s move could be seen as a “preemptive measure (but it) does not necessarily reflect that there has been an unusual surge in the number of A(H1N1) cases in the US.”
“I think that is really to just capacitate the American health system to be able to respond to the possibility of a surge in A(H1N1) cases. The President perhaps does not want the American health system to be caught flat-footed. We cannot question the wisdom of American leadership in declaring a state of emergency,” Duque said.
Despite the expected influx of inbound travelers this coming Yuletide season, Duque said there is no need yet to tighten surveillance at airports. He, however, assured the public that the fever scanning system at airports is still in place.
“Probably, it’s not necessarily beyond what the quarantine personnel are doing. Of course, we still have the fever scan machines. We’re not going to reduce our efforts in terms of these important quarantine measures,” he said.
The health chief also said that in case there is a second wave of A(H1N1), hospitals are ready to test and manage these cases.
He added that five DOH hospitals – the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, San Lazaro Hospital, Lung Center of the Philippines, Cebu Medical Center and Davao Medical Center – are equipped to screen patients for A(H1N1) while the staff in private hospitals have been undergoing training on how to deal with these cases.
No let-up
Airport officials yesterday said there will be no let-up in the anti-A(H1N1) watch at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
NAIA quarantine officials said they are monitoring the arrival of tourists from the northern hemisphere as their countries enter winter and the influenza season begins.
Dr. Federico Castillo, head of quarantine at the NAIA, said foreigners coming to the Philippines and other tropical countries to escape winter could bring in the second wave of the Influenza A(H1N1) virus from now until June 2010.
Castillo also said that the virus in the Philippines will not be as potent as in other parts of the globe due to the country’s hot weather.
The Philippine flu season usually coincides with the onset of rains in the middle of the year.
“If their vaccines fail to stop the virus, (the second wave) could reach countries like the Philippines. That is what we are closely watching.” Castillo added.
Manila International Airport Authority general manager Alfonso Cusi ordered all government agencies at the NAIA to get in touch with each other and pay attention to a possible new wave of A(HINI).
Preventive measures in place
The Department of Tourism (DOT) was quick to dismiss the possibility that foreign tourists visiting the country would spread swine flu.
Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano stressed that hotels and other tourism establishments in the country are adopting necessary measures to prevent the spread of the virus in the country.
Durano added that the DOT is continuously monitoring all tourism establishments nationwide to ensure that they are complying with the protocol established by the DOH.
“We will continue to monitor compliance by hotels and resorts with protocol established by the DOH, which is to immediately report to the agency any suspected A(H1N1) case,” Durano said.
“What is important is for the DOH to be vigilant in monitoring and quick quarantine response to ensure that new cases will be contained,” Durano said.
PNP also on alert
Even the Philippine National Police (PNP) is now bracing for the possible resurgence of the A(H1N1) virus.
PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa has reactivated the Disaster Management Task Group on Pandemic Influenza and ordered a review of the Pandemic Influenza Response Plan for submission to the DOH as part of the overall action plan to address the situation.
“As a member of the National Task Force on Pandemic Influenza, the PNP is tasked with the enforcement of quarantine procedures and for rapid containment in case the pandemic flu will manifest here in our country. It is better that we are all prepared for any eventuality,” Verzosa said.
Senior Superintendent Leonardo Espina, PNP spokesman, said personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, laboratory suits and other necessary equipment will be procured for use by policemen who will be directly involved in implementing quarantine procedures.
“Meantime, we shall implement ‘force protection’ to educate our personnel on the different aspects of addressing this concern. The Aviation Security Group will be the first to be subjected to briefing by PNP doctors considering that they are our frontliners who work jointly with the DOH in securing entry ports,” Espina said. – With Marvin Sy, Rudy Santos, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Mayen Jaymalin