No Nipah virus in PH, says health officials
DOH-7 Director Jaime Bernadas said on Monday, October 2, that there are no confirmed cases of Nipah virus in the country. | CDN Photo/Niña Mae Oliverio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Officials from the Department of Health (DOH) said on Monday, October 2, that there are no confirmed cases of Nipah virus in the Philippines.
Health Undersecretary Abdullah Dumama Jr. and DOH Central Visayas Director Jaime Bernadas issued the clarification following reports that students and faculty members of a school in Cagayan de Oro exhibited symptoms of the virus.
“Mayroong mga lumalabas na baka ito ay respiratory virus because of the common colds, cough, and fever na lumalaganap ngayon pero as of the moment, wala pa po tayong kaso ng Nipah virus,” Dumama told Cebu reporters.
Dumama was in a hotel in Cebu City on Monday to address participants of the official launch of the Philippine Plan Action for Nutrition (PPAN) organized by the National Nutrition Council (NCC).
Nipah virus
The Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus that is transmitted from animals to humans through the consumption of contaminated food products.
In an advisory dated September 29, DOH said that the infected person may show “flu-like symptoms that are associated with complications that may include the swelling of the brain and respiratory illness.”
To date, there is no confirmed case of the Nipah virus in the country.
“We still have to monitor what will be coming for us but for sure as sinabi ni [Undersecretary] Dumama, we haven’t yet confirmed [any case] of the Nipah virus in the Philippines,” Bernadas said.
Preventive Measures
Still, Bernadas said there was a need for caution and to adopt preventive measures.
“Pareho ra gihapon ang atong awhag sa atong mga niaging mga viral pandemic. Ang atong gi-emphasize ang atong kaugalingong hygiene, ang atong paglikay sa mga lugar nga adunay daghang taw ug ang pag gamit sa mga protective devices kung gikinahanglan,” Bernadas said.
The Philippine Inter-agency Committee on Zooneses (PhilCZ) that consist of DOH, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) also “encourages the public to be vigilant and practice behaviors to prevent transmission of [the] disease.”
Moreover, PhilCZ is asking livestock owners to report unusual deaths or any respiratory and neurologic symptoms being displayed by animals to the local veterinary office.
Farm workers or handlers, who show symptoms that are related to the virus, are urged to also visit the local health offices.
The concern on the Nipah virus started after some schools in India were forced to shut down after the southern state of Kerala recorded two deaths from the said virus. / with reports from Inquirer.net
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