The Philippines is no stranger to
disease outbreaks. For decades past, the Department of Health has battled local
flare-ups of such standard tropical ailments like dengue. It has also worked
hard to prevent the entry into the country of some pretty nasty viruses. These
efforts have varied from successful like with the H5N1 bird flu, or the
limiting of impact such as with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which
infected only 14 and killed 2 from 2002 to 2003. Now, the DOH is keeping a wary
eye on the developing situation with a new coronavirus strain from China. On
their recommendation, major airlines have started issuing necessary travel safety
advisories.
CNN Philippines reports that a common advisory was given by
Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific to their flying public, asking them to
check on their health and physical condition, and to put off any air travel
plans if they are feeling unwell. This is in response to the sudden fast spread
of a novel coronavirus strain that can cause a potentially fatal respiratory
disease. It is not surprising considering that this virus is in the same family
as the aforementioned SARS and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), both
of which are coronavirus strains as well.
The novel coronavirus, currently
designated 2019-nCoV was first discovered during screening of medical samples
from patients suffering from a sudden pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China since
last year. Before long hundreds of Chinese have been tested positive for this
coronavirus, and 17 of them have since died. But the worrying factor is how
quickly it spread from Wuhan to various cities in China (Beijing, Guangdong and
Shanghai), with more confirmed cases found in Thailand (Bangkok), Japan
(Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul), and the US (Everett, Washington).
In light of these updates from
the World Health Organization, Philippine Airlines has commenced non-intrusive
screening of passengers departing and arriving at certain airports in the
country. But for the most part they and Cebu Pacific are repeating safety tips
from the Department of Health to protect oneself from catching disease and
passing them on to others: washing hands frequently, covering the mouth during
coughs and sneezes, regular water intake, cooking food well done, and the
avoiding unprotected contact with wild animals and of people displaying
symptoms similar to flu. Airports have also begun to implement possible
quarantine procedures for suspected cases of 2019-nCoV, such as a boy from
Wuhan that flew to Cebu City as an English language student.
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