DOH checking if Filipino in Honduras is infected by Zika virus

The Department of Health (DOH) is checking a report that a Filipino in Honduras has been infected by the Zika virus, an official said Monday.
 
"Bina-validate pa natin ang report na iyan... sa napabalitang may isang kaso ng Zika na Filipina na naapektuhan dito sa Honduras," Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy told GMA's News To Go in an interview.
 
Lee-Suy said they are checking with the DOH's counterpart in Honduras. He did not provide additional information about the report.
 
The Department of Foreign Affairs has  told GMA News in a text message that it is also checking the report.
 
Meanwhile, Lee-Suy assured that measures are in place to detect people entering the country who may be infected with the virus.
 
He said that the same thermal scanners placed in the country's international airports can detect people who may be infected by the virus.
 
"Ang screening naman is ongoing... Ang minomonitor dito (thermal scanner) ay body temperature. Since one of the manifestation of Zika is fever, kung dumaan ka, may fever ka, galing ka sa Latin America, sa mga countries na affected by Zika, mahaharang ka para magkaroon ng further examination," he said.
 
Lee-Suy added that if the person would test positive for Zika, he will be given medication and confined in a hospital by the DOH.
 
"Gamutan lang naman ito. Not to downplay it, [ang gamot] ay para sa trangkaso lang na lagnat. Of course, iko-confine siya hanggang gumaling ang pasyente," he said.
 
Lee-Suy had confirmed that the Philippines had a case of Zika virus in 2012, but announced last Friday that the country remained free from virus.
 
During the interview, Lee-Suy said that the dengue-carrying aedes aegypti are the same type of mosquitoes that spreads the Zika virus.
 
He said that the DOH will implement the same approach that it is using against the dengue virus to prevent the spread of Zika in the country.
 
He also urged Filipinos to immediately consult with doctors once they experience the symptoms of Zika virus, which are also similar with flu and dengue fever.
 
President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the DOH to prepare against the Zika virus.
 
"The DOH has been instructed by the President to [study] this matter and to [ensure] public safety as much as possible," Presidential Communications Undersecretary Manolo Quezon III said in an interview on state-run dzRB radio on Saturday. —ALG, GMA News

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