Anti-flu monitoring ongoing in Panay

Cebu Daily News
First Posted 10:26:00 05/06/2009

Filed Under: Swine Flu, Health

Iloilo City — Health officials and local government units have been monitoring international airports and ports on Panay Island to prevent the entry of persons infected with the influenza A (H1N1) virus.

The Department of Health (DOH) has started screening passengers and crewmen of ships from other countries docking at the Iloilo International Port in Barangay Loboc, La Paz District.

Dr. Lino Gregorio, chief of the Bureau of Quarantine of the Department of Health in Western Visayas, said passengers arriving at the Kalibo Airport in Aklan were also being monitored.

Gregorio said starting Wednesday, officials would use thermal strips, that measure people's temperatures, to test passengers from Taipei going to Kalibo.

Thermal strips are placed on people's foreheads to measure their temperatures.

The local government of Kalibo has requested that a thermal scanner be installed at the airport but Gregorio said it won't work because there's an open space at the town's airport.

Thermal scanners work in closed spaces.

Dr. Ariel Valencia, DOH officer-in-charge in Western Visayas, said measures are in place in response to a World Health Organization warning against a possible H1N1 pandemic.

At a briefing, government officials and journalists agreed to come up with guidelines on coverage and reporting on H1N1 to prevent panic and ensure the privacy of persons believed to have been infected with the virus.

Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas Sr. and Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas on Monday presided over a meeting to coordinate contingency plans in the city and province.

Tupas said officials will adopt the protocol defined during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak.

Treñas said the city government has organized an inter-agency task force to focus on preparation and response.

He said there would be a massive information campaign.

Dr. Lino Gregorio, of the Bureau of Quarantine, said international ships can't dock in the Port of Culasi and Loboc Port unless quarantine inspectors were allowed on board and give the ships clearance to dock. /Inquirer