Travelers Monitored Amidst Mystery Illness From China
MYSTERY ILLNESS FROM CHINA – Amidst reports of outbreaks pertaining to a mystery disease from China, the Philippine Health Secretary orders strict surveillance of travelers going into the country.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III had ordered the Bureau of Quarantine to heighten the monitoring of travelers going into the Philippines. This was in lieu of hospitals in Hong Kong raising their alert level to “serious”.
On Saturday, a mysterious viral pneumonia outbreak occurred in mainland China and continued to spread. Based on a report from ABS-CBN, there were about 59 patients that have gotten seriously ill.
However, Duque assured the public that they are on high-alert and is closely monitoring the border following the confirmation of the cases. He instructed the bureau to intensify screening of all incoming travelers.
Those with signs of fever or respiratory infection would especially be monitored. In addition, he notified the public that if they had a history of traveling to China and have flu-like symptoms, they should seek medical attention immediately.
The health secretary also wanted to emphasize the importance of embracing a healthy lifestyle. He highlighted that the public should practice proper hand hygiene and observe cough etiquette to prevent transmissions of disease.
The mystery illness from China was first recorded on December 24 in Wuhan, one of China’s central cities. This led to netizens speculating that a comeback of a flu-like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus was spreading.
From 2002 to 2003, there was a SARS outbreak in China and Hong Kong. This led to the deaths of hundreds of people.
According to an article from Inquirer, authorities have reported that the hotspot for the recent infections centered around a wet market in Wuhan. Here, wild animals were sold.
However, they are still identifying the cause of the disease. Although, they have concluded that common respiratory diseases such as influenza, bird flu, and adenovirus infection were not the culprit.
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