DOH: No active cases of Nipah virus in PH
There are no active cases of the deadly Nipah virus in the Philippines, and the country is ready with safeguards in place, according to the Department of Health.
DOH spokesperson Assec. Albert Domingo explained how the Philippines is preparing against the virus spreading in India.
In an interview with Super Radyo DZBB, he said that at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1, there are spotter nurses who monitor inbound passengers.
"Katabi nila, merong [thermal] scanner or thermal camera—computer-aided po 'yan," Domingo continued.
"Lahat ng dumadaan, na-i-identify nila 'yung temperature. Pag lumampas [sa] cut-off, 37.5 degrees [yata] or something, iilaw tapos pwede nilang tingnan ng mas masinsinan pa for secondary inspection."
The health spokesperson added that before entering the country, passengers must fill out the e-travel form at least 72 hours before their trip. "Kasama dun sa e-Travel form, merong mga tanong saang bansa ka nanggaling."
Those from India and other monitored countries will see another set of questions in the eGov app regarding other symptoms and places they visited.
"'Yung sintomas ay pangkaraniwan. Pwede kang magkaroon ng lagnat, magkaroon ng pananakit ng katawan, sipon. Para siyang mala trangkasong sakit at its mild side, pero kung ito ay magiging malala, ['yung] pamamaga ng utak o encephalitis."
Domingo assured Pinoys that having a fever and cough does not automatically mean they have the Nipah virus if they have no travel history.
No active Nipah case in the PH
Domingo further shared that there's no active Nipah virus case in the country.
"For the record, wala po. Wala ho tayong na-mo-monitor at nakikita na may sintomas or history ng exposure," he told the radio show.
"Also for the record, India na po mismo ang nagsabi, dalawa lamang—mali pala ang kanilang unang bilang na lima—ang kanilang kumpirmado na kaso. Ang kanilang contact tracing at isolation, nakaabot na ng halos 200 kung saan lahat ay nag test ng negative."
He added that the virus isn't new in the country.
"2014 pa ho nakita na natin [ang Nipah virus]. Wala pong kaso na aktibo," the DOH assistant secretary said, adding that there isn't a vaccine yet for Nipah virus.
"Mataas po ang mortality ng Nipah [...] Mula sa pananaw ng public health, ito ay mas madali ma-contain.
The Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus, which means it can be transmitted from animals to humans. Dr. Arthur Dessi Roman, the president of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, warned that the virus is "highly deadly," with a 40-75% fatality rate.
It usually starts with fever, followed by headache, muscle pain (myalgia), vomiting, and sore throat. But one may also develop severe symptoms such as drowsiness and altered consciousness, agitation, confusion, and seizures.