Manila, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) continues to monitor the outbreak and cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda to ensure that the virus does not enter the Philippines.
Part of the DOH’s measures is stricter surveillance of the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) at all points of entry in the country.
According to the DOH, passengers are required to accomplish a health declaration form via etravel.gov.ph before traveling to the Philippines.
Passengers coming from countries with reported Ebola cases even if they stayed there 21 days ago will still be issued a red QR code, which means they will undergo arrival screening and proceed to the BOQ.
If no symptoms are detected, the passenger will be allowed to go home but will still undergo daily symptom monitoring for 21 days under the supervision of their local government units (LGUs).
If symptoms appear, they will be immediately brought by the BOQ to an isolation facility for a mandatory 21-day quarantine.
Based on the latest data from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of June 2, there are 363 confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC, with 62 deaths.
As of June 4, Uganda has reported 16 cases, with one death, as well as one probable case and one probable death.
Meanwhile, symptoms of a person exposed to the disease usually appear within 2 to 21 days, or on average within eight to ten days.
Early symptoms, or “dry symptoms,” typically include fever, headache, sore throat, weakness, and body aches.
These symptoms may progress into “wet symptoms” after four to five days, which include unexplained weight loss, bleeding, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
Other possible symptoms include chest pain, slow breathing, confusion, red eyes, skin rashes, hiccups, and seizures.
Studies show that Ebola survivors may experience long-term complications such as fatigue, headaches, blurred vision, light sensitivity, eye pain and redness, weight gain, and other health issues.
In the Philippines, the Health Department has previously assured that the country remains at low risk for the disease, meaning the chance of the virus entering the country is low.