DoH to heighten border surveillance amid Ebola emergency in African countries

The Department of Health (DoH) on Monday said it will implement heightened surveillance for those coming from two African countries placed under a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) due to the Ebola disease.

“So we already have protocols in place for that,” DoH Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa said in a video release posted on the agency’s Facebook page in Filipino.

“Our Bureau of Quarantine and Epidemiology Bureau will heighten surveillance, especially for those coming from affected countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda,” Herbosa added.

He made the statement following a meeting of Western Pacific Regional Office countries, in which he participated.

The World Health Organization (WHO) formalized the declaration in a statement released on Sunday, saying the Ebola disease epidemic caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the DRC and Uganda meets the criteria for a PHEIC under Article 1 of the International Health Regulations (IHR).

Among the extraordinary events cited by the WHO were eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases, and 80 suspected deaths reported in Ituri Province in the DRC across at least three health zones as of May 16.

Two unrelated laboratory-confirmed cases were also reported in Kampala, Uganda within 24 hours of each other.

The WHO also noted unusual clusters of community deaths and suspected infections in Ituri and North Kivu, alongside at least four deaths among healthcare workers, raising concerns over possible healthcare-associated transmission and weak infection prevention measures.

The agency said there remains significant uncertainty over the true scale and geographic spread of the outbreak, prompting calls for international coordination and response efforts to determine the extent of transmission and strengthen control measures.

Mr. Herbosa, meanwhile, assured the public that there is no need for alarm despite the PHEIC declaration in Africa, as the government is intensifying border surveillance.

“Africa is far from the Philippines, and we will further strengthen monitoring at our borders to ensure that Ebola does not enter the country,” he said. — Edg Adrian A. Eva