PHL JOINS WORLD FIGHT VS EBOLA EPIDEMIC

Don’t panic as deaths rise to 4,000, says WHO; U.S.. U.N. on full alert

MANILA — President Benigno S. Aquino III has underscored at a World Health Organization (WHO) crisis meeting the importance of global cooperation to prevent the spread of deadly diseases, such as the Ebola virus and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
In Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and French President Francois Hollande separately about the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, according to the White House.

During his conversation with Ban, Obama “stressed the need for all UN member states to support the UN appeal, and to provide the personnel, equipment, and supplies required to stop the epidemic at its source,” the White House said in a statement.
Both leaders agreed that, given the threat posed by Ebola, at this crucial juncture members of the international community “must redouble their resolve and commitment to stay the course and decisively address the Ebola crisis,” it said.
In a separate phone call with Hollande, Obama discussed additional measures that may be taken to stem the spread of Ebola outside the region already affected, including passenger screening upon departure and arrival.
Also in Washington, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that a health care worker at Texas Presbyterian Hospital who provided care for the first Ebola patient in the U.S. has tested positive for the deadly virus, even as more than 4,000 have died of the virus in Africa.
This as the Philippines remains Ebola Virus Disease-free after 18 persons suspected to have the virus tested negative of the deadly disease.
”There are 18 cases of suspected Ebola Virus Disease being monitored by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and all of them have negative results and because of that, we can say that the Philippines is Ebola-free,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma.
Coloma said the RITM located in Muntinlupa City has been designated as national referral center for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
In other developments:
1. The World Health Organization (WHO) assured its readiness to extend assistance to all its member states on whatever health challenges the future holds.
“Together, we will address some of those challenges in this session of our governing body,” Dr. Shin Young-soo, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, said during the 65th Session of the Who Regional Committee for the Western Pacific held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
2. Health Secretary Enrique Ona stressed the need for proper awareness or understanding by the public in dealing with the Ebola virus in the event of its possible entry in the Philippines during the WHO conference. He likewise emphasized that preparedness is the key and there should be no room for panic.
Ona said the DOH is planning to require a medical clearance from Filipinos who are returning from Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, which have been struck by the deadly Ebola virus.
Ona said the medical clearance would state if the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) has been exposed to people who have contracted or have died of Ebola fever.
He suggested that before coming home, the OFW should observe himself for 21 days to see if he shows any symptom of the disease.
3. WHO Executive Director Ian Smith, in dealing with the EVD, it is highly important that panic should not run faster than the virus. Dr. Smith said that almost 90% economic losses may be lost by a country once panic prevails.
4. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has reminded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to be wary of job opportunities being offered in Ebola virus-hit countries since there is an existing deployment ban in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
“They should not take the risk anymore of entertaining such offers because we have an existing deployment ban in those countries. This means their papers will not be legally processed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA),” said DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.
5. Department of Health Undersecretary Janette L. Garin stressed the need to exercise calmness and refrain from sowing fear or panic in the event of an Ebola virus case in the country.
“Like what Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO director general, said, too much fear will cause us to waste resources instead of using them on other important health needs. What is very important is preparation. It is the key to successfully deal with it,” Garin said.
Obama met Monday afternoon with members of his public health and national security team to receive an update on the response to the diagnosis of a second Ebola case in Dallas, Texas.
The American president was briefed on the status of the investigation into “the apparent breach in infection control protocols at the Dallas hospital and remedial actions underway to mitigate similar breaches in the future,” the White House said.
“The President reinforced that this investigation should proceed as expeditiously as possible and that lessons learned should be integrated into future response plans and disseminated to hospitals and healthcare workers nationwide,” it added
At the WHO conference in Manila, President Aquino said stopping the spread of these contagious diseases is a “paramount concern” of the administration, considering the significant number of Filipinos working abroad.
“Outbreaks of illnesses and diseases like the MERS-Coronavirus and Ebola are among the greatest challenges the world faces today,” he said.
“For the Philippines, specifically, the fact that we have ten million of our countrymen living and working abroad, makes these kinds of outbreaks a paramount concern,” he added.
The President shared how the government, through the Department of Health (DOH), managed to prevent the spread of MERS-Coronavirus in the Philippines despite the more than one million Filipinos living and working in the Middle East.
He said the DOH has been tasked to continue to educate the public about the deadly diseases without causing fear and panic, and to come up with an efficient and safe way to monitor the exposure of the people to such diseases.
He assured that the government will continue to exert effort to keep all Filipinos safe and healthy amid the global threat of pandemics.
The President also gave a rundown of the government’s achievements in the health sector, including the expansion of PhilHealth coverage and the passage of the sin tax and reproductive health bills.
Earlier, he welcomed the participants of the WHO regional committee, noting that it has been 25 years since the Philippines last hosted the event.
“Back then, it was my mother, President Corazon Aquino, who welcomed your predecessors to our country, where they would discuss, among others, infant and child nutrition, the WHO’s expanded immunization program, and financial policies and strategies in public health,” he said.
Meanwhile, in his opening remarks, WHO Executive Director Ian Smith thanked the Philippine government for hosting this year’s meeting of the regional committee.Characterizing the Filipinos as “well-known survivors”, Smith expressed optimism that the Philippines could prevent the importation of Ebola virus as the country has survived various disasters in recent years.
About 250 representatives of member countries and partners are attending the meeting, which will tackle important health issues, among them emergencies and disasters, universal coverage, antimicrobial resistance, tobacco, and mental health.