MANILA
The Philippines has set in place measures against the entry of the Zika virus even though health officials have yet to report local transmission of the disease, which is suspected to cause birth defects in infected infants.
“Let’s go back to basics; we always say that prevention is better than cure,” Health Secretary Janette Garin said at a press briefing Tuesday afternoon on countermeasures against the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease similar to dengue.
She added that like dengue, the measures against the entry of the disease start at home by ensuring cleanliness of surroundings to deny virus-carrying mosquitos a place to breed.
“The first step to prevent mosquito-borne diseases is within our homes. Let us instil cleanliness in our surroundings. It is not only your family that will benefit from this habit, but the entire community as well,” Garin said.
While there have been no reported cases of Zika transmission in the country yet it is believed that it could get a foothold in the Philippines as it is transmitted by the same mosquito species responsible for the spread of dengue (Aedes Aegypti) and chikungunya fever.
The health secretary also said that as an additional countermeasure, the Department of Health would also be equipping at least six government hospitals in key areas of the country with necessary tools to prevent the entry and spread of the disease in the country,
She said 1,000 units of testing kit to determine if a patient is infected with the Zika virus had arrived in the country and a further 1,000 are expect to arrive next week.
“So far, the Philippines is not on the list of countries with local transmission of Zika infection,” she said.
“Zika infection is difficult to determine because we expect that 75 per cent of those who have it, are asymptomatic or will not show immediate outward signs of having the virus,” she said.
