ILOILO City – Joining the rest of the world in heightening measures to prevent the spread of a new corovirus from China, the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo has started screening passengers arriving from Hong Kong and Singapore for fever and flu symptoms.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as pneumonia. It is not yet clear how bad this new coronavirus is but deaths were already reported in China.
According to Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Iloilo Airport terminal supervisor Arthur Parreño, his agency has tightened medical quarantine protocols.
Bureau of Quarantine personnel have been posted on Aerobridge 3, the designated passageway of passengers arriving from Hong Kong and Singapore.
The thermal scanner has also been activated to detect passengers with fever – one of the symptoms of those infected with the new coronavirus known also as 2019-nCoV.
“Feverish passengers would be ushered to an isolation room,” said Parreño.
Hospital authorities would be contacted for an ambulance that would take the passengers to the hospital for further examination.
“The suspected cases won’t be passing the passenger terminal but through the ramp in going to the waiting ambulance,” Parreño stressed.
The CAAP-Iloilo chief said his office is also waiting an order from their central office for the possible free distribution of face masks at the airport.
Parreño expects a surge in passenger arrivals this week due to the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City.
The Iloilo Airport services 50 flights each day (25 departure, 25 arrival) including flights to and from Hong Kong and Singapore.
Iloilo’s Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. backed the steps that CAAP has taken but pointed out a loophole when he checked the Iloilo Airport yesterday.
He thus issued Executive Order No. 028 ordering the mandatory accomplishment of the “passenger declaration and health declaration card” of those entering the province both by domestic and international flights or vessels”.
To further protect the province, Defensor further ordered the following:
* inspection / clearing / checking of foreign vessels including the crew for 2019-nCoV in their second or subsequent port of entry in the province by the Bureau of Quarantine
* mobilization of barangay volunteers such as Barangay Health Workers, Barangay Nutrition Scholars and Barangay Service Point Officers to monitor and record returning residents and transient with travels from countries positive for 2019 nCoV, and similar strains; and
* monitoring and recording of guests from tourism accommodation establishments who have travel history from affected countries
This new virus has spread from China’s Wuhan City (there are now over 500 confirmed cases, with the origin a seafood market) in China to several Chinese provinces, as well as the US, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, and Macau.
Signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties.
The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed early this week that three Boracay Island-bound Chinese visitors who entered the country through the Kalibo International Airport were placed under quarantine in Kalibo, Aklan.
The airport’s thermal scanner detected them with fever.
The Kalibo International Airport services direct flights to and from Wuhan City.
The three Chinese nationals were referred to the Dr. Rafael S. Tumbukon Memorial Hospital (DRSTMH), said Dr. Glenn Alonsabe, DOH regional epidemiologist.
The first to be quarantined, according
to Dr. Cornelio Cuachon of the Aklan Provincial Health Office, was a
29-year-old Chinese national. This was on Jan. 17. The second was a three-year-old
girl on Jan. 18.
The most recent, on Monday, was a 65-year-old Chinese.
“The 29 years old Chinese was advised to stay overnight at the DRSTMH while the young girl was considered an outpatient. The 65-year-old patient, on the other hand, is currently being checked at the hospital,” said Cuachon.
Throat swab specimens were collected from the three foreigners then these were sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Manila for analysis.
It may take time before the results would be known, said Cuachon./PN
