New working group formed to prepare for Ebola threat

MANILA, Philippines - A new working group has been formed to prepare for any Ebola threat following a meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) yesterday.

In a phone interview, spokesman Mina Marasigan said the NDRRMC had tasked the technical working group to draw up measures and develop protocols in case the virus enters the Philippines.

“We need to put forward and let people know the right information on what it is and how it can be transmitted,” she said.

Marasigan said the Department of Health (DOH) had assured the NDRRMC that all measures and processes are being taken, especially in information dissemination.

No timelines have been discussed yet for the working group to release protocols, she added. 

The DOH will head the working group to be comprised of representatives from local governments, Office of Civil Defense, the police and the military.

Speaking to reporters at Camp Aguinaldo, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, NDRRMC chairman, said he is “very confident” that the Philippines is ready to face the Ebola threat as  their focus is to stop its entry.

“We are promoting awareness and preparedness so it cannot enter here from the point of origin,” he said. – Tess McClure, Lawrence Agcaoili