Exit screening for returning OFWs from Ebola-hit West Africa sought
The Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) on Tuesday urged the government to put in place an exit screening in Ebola-hit countries for travelers going to Manila as another precautionary measure against the dreaded virus.
"We need to raise the energy level of the government Ebola response team to involve more agencies, and ensure a checklist is in place starting off from exit screening in West Africa," said Dr. Anthony Leachon, Philippine College of Physicians president.
Leachon said aside from putting up an exit screening in West Africa, OFWs should be quarantined for 21 days and should be allowed to travel back to Manila only after receiving an exit clearance, which can be attained through blood tests.
"Controlling the Ebola virus outbreak at the source in West Africa is the most effective way to decrease international risk of transmission," Leachon said, citing a research paper published in medical journal The Lancet, by Dr. Kamran Khan, a physician and researcher at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.
"We should protect our country first from the entry of Ebola virus, especially those coming from West African countries who are in the area of greatest peril. This should be the focus of our efforts in the light of the looming global epidemic on the dreaded virus," Leachon added.
Info drive
Meanwhile, Leachon said for its part, the PCP will mobilize its 10,000 members to help the government in disseminating pertinent information to different stakeholders, including schools and the workplace.
"We should prepare all hospitals of whatever level, to make sure health personnel and all health facilities are prepared to handle suspected cases of Ebola," he said.
"We need to build new areas where the 3,000 Filipinos coming home from West Africa in November can be accommodated when the alert level is raised, and in anticipation of the Christmas holiday season," Leachon added.
Earlier, the Department of Health said Ebola can be transmitted through close contact with:
- blood secretions
- organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals
- body fluids and stools of an infected person
- contaminated needles and soiled linen used by infected patients
- direct contact with the body of a deceased person
Symptoms of infection with Ebola virus include:
- fever, headache, intense weakness, joint and muscle pains, and sore throat
- vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding
sometimes, rash, red eyes, hiccups, and bleeding from body openings
Over 4,000 have been reported killed by the Ebola virus in West Africa, most of them in Liberia. The high number of Filipino migrant workers has made the Philippines vulnerable to infectious diseases from abroad. —Amanda Fernandez/KBK, GMA News
"We need to raise the energy level of the government Ebola response team to involve more agencies, and ensure a checklist is in place starting off from exit screening in West Africa," said Dr. Anthony Leachon, Philippine College of Physicians president.
Leachon said aside from putting up an exit screening in West Africa, OFWs should be quarantined for 21 days and should be allowed to travel back to Manila only after receiving an exit clearance, which can be attained through blood tests.
"Controlling the Ebola virus outbreak at the source in West Africa is the most effective way to decrease international risk of transmission," Leachon said, citing a research paper published in medical journal The Lancet, by Dr. Kamran Khan, a physician and researcher at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.
"We should protect our country first from the entry of Ebola virus, especially those coming from West African countries who are in the area of greatest peril. This should be the focus of our efforts in the light of the looming global epidemic on the dreaded virus," Leachon added.
Info drive
Meanwhile, Leachon said for its part, the PCP will mobilize its 10,000 members to help the government in disseminating pertinent information to different stakeholders, including schools and the workplace.
"We should prepare all hospitals of whatever level, to make sure health personnel and all health facilities are prepared to handle suspected cases of Ebola," he said.
"We need to build new areas where the 3,000 Filipinos coming home from West Africa in November can be accommodated when the alert level is raised, and in anticipation of the Christmas holiday season," Leachon added.
Earlier, the Department of Health said Ebola can be transmitted through close contact with:
- blood secretions
- organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals
- body fluids and stools of an infected person
- contaminated needles and soiled linen used by infected patients
- direct contact with the body of a deceased person
Symptoms of infection with Ebola virus include:
- fever, headache, intense weakness, joint and muscle pains, and sore throat
- vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding
sometimes, rash, red eyes, hiccups, and bleeding from body openings
Over 4,000 have been reported killed by the Ebola virus in West Africa, most of them in Liberia. The high number of Filipino migrant workers has made the Philippines vulnerable to infectious diseases from abroad. —Amanda Fernandez/KBK, GMA News
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