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Palace official clarifies US travel alert over Zika virus

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MALACANANG, Philippines – Communications Secretary Hermilio Coloma Jr. has clarified that the United States travel alert over Zika virus advises people visiting the country to practice enhanced precautions.
Coloma was reacting to reports that the Department of Health (DOH) is expecting the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue Level 2 travel notice after an American was infected with the Zika virus last month.
“Nais lang nating linawin na ang naglalabas ng travel advisory sa Zika virus ay ang Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sa Estados Unidos. Kung sakaling maisama ang Pilipinas sa kanilang gagawin pang alert announcement, ito ay batay lamang sa nagiisang kaso ng infection ng isang US national na iniulat sa kanila noong mga nakaraang linggo. Ang mensahe sa ganyang alert level ay Practice Enhanced Precautions. Samakatuwid, kailangan ang patuloy na pag-iingat at kalusugan, pangangalaga sa kalinisan ng kapaligiran at pagsunod sa mga gabay ng DOH,” said Coloma in an interview over Radyo ng Bayan on Sunday.
Coloma said the DOH is doing what is necessary to ensure the safety and health of the Filipino people as well as foreigners in the country.
“Patuloy na isinasagawa ng Department of Health ang lahat ng nararapat na hakbang sa maaaring pagkalat ng Zika virus upang tiyakin ang kaligtasan at kalusugan ng lahat ng mamamayan maging ang mga dayuhang bumibisita sa ating bansa. Sa kasalukuyan, pinaiigting ng DOH (Department of Health) ang pagbabantay sa posibleng kaso ng Zika virus sa ilalim ng umiiral na Philippine Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response o PIDSR system. Sa ilalim ng PIDSR, lahat nang mga pinaghihinalaang kaso ng Zika ay kinakailangang maiulat sa DOH sa loob ng 24 na oras at sumailalim sa agarang pagsusuri gamit ang real-time polymerase chain reaction na isinasagawa sa Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) at iba pang kahalintulad na pasilidad ng DOH,” said the Palace official.
Coloma also urged the public to follow the reminders of the DOH to avoid getting the Zika virus that is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito.
“Muling pinaalalahanan ng DOH ang mga mamamayan na maging maingat at linisin ang lahat ng lugar na maaaring pamugaran ng lamok na siyang nagdadala ng Zika virus. Pinapayuhan din natin ang publiko, higit ang mga nagdadalang-tao, na umiwas sa kagat ng lamok lalo sa tag-araw maging ang mga indibidwal na nakararanas ng lagnat, rashes at conjunctivitis na agad sumangguni sa doktor upang mapawi ang kanilang pangamba sa pagkahawa ng Zika virus,” Coloma said.
The World Health Organization said there is an indication of local transmission of Zika virus in the Philippines, but no cases of Zika-related microcephaly or Guillain Barre Syndrome yet.

Criselda Cabangon David, a happy mother of two kids, is a full-time Sociologist at the City Government of Lucena, Quezon Province. She is currently the Managing Editor of Ang Diaryo Natin Sunday News, a weekly local community newspaper in the Philippines and an active member of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.