By Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff Reporter
LAOAG CITY—The outbreak of a new coronavirus has sparked
fear and anxiety around the world.
With this, even the Schools Division of Ilocos Norte
(SDOIN) has intensified campaign on proper handwashing and to always practice
covering one’s mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing to avoid close contact
with people who show signs of respiratory illness.
In a press conference held at the SDOIN on January 31,
2019, Dr. Lloyd Rosquita, DepEd Ilocos Norte chief education supervisor said
they are directing all schools in the province to help in raising awareness
about the on-going health problem and to conduct mass immunization to protect
children and the community on the re-emergence of polio in the country.
“This is something that we should not take it lightly. To
be safe, let us make it a habit to practice proper hygiene and boost our immune
system by taking in more fruits and green leafy vegetables,” said Dr. Rosquita.
In a January 24, 2020 memo, DepEd Undersecretary Alain
Del Pascua urged regional directors; minister for basic, higher and technical
education; schools division superintendents; principals; school heads; and
others school officials to promote correct health information and to support
health workers and volunteers in vaccinating all children particularly those
who are in hard-to-reach areas.
In Ilocos Norte schools, schools have made available hand
washing facilities for children while others wear face masks for protection.
In a separate interview with Dr. Roger Braceros, acting
chief of hospital of the Governor Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital, he said
there is no reason to panic as of the moment.
“Just in case, we will coordinate with the Mariano Marcos
Memorial Hospital and Medical Center in Batac City which is capable in dealing
with this kind,” said Dr. Braceros citing the provincial hospital has also an
isolation room for special cases.
PHO: Stay vigilant vs coronavirus
With the
Department of Health confirmation of the country’s first novel coronavirus 2019
(2019-nCov) on January 30, 2020, acting provincial health officer Dr. Josephine
Ruedas has urged Ilocos Norte residents to stay vigilant against the entry of
the deadly coronavirus in the province.
As a precautionary measure, Dr. Ruedas advised local
residents who may know anyone who had been to affected areas to keep in touch
with the Provincial Health Office for them to be evaluated by medical experts.
“You know well that coronavirus is very alarming in China
and we are praying it will not enter our province. If you have friends you went
to the affected areas, please let us know so we can evaluate them if they are
infected or not,” said Dr. Ruedas.
According to Dr. Ruedas, the coronavirus can affect
humans and animals and the signs and symptoms are likened to influenza.
“If you have history of travel to affected areas, you can
approach our Rural Health Units to calm ourselves,” Dr. Ruedas said as she
urged everyone to stay vigilant and ensure the province is free from
coronavirus infection.
Though Ilocos Norte has no direct flights from China, a
Quarantine Section is in place at the Laoag International Airport to check on
the arrival of visitors.
At present, a novel coronavirus is causing an outbreak of
pneumonia illness in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, China which has the
potential to cause severe disease and death.
Imee: PH faces coronavirus risk
Meanwhile, Sen.
Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos said that lax immigration procedures for
Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) also increased the country’s health
risk to the virus that Chinese officials have traced to an animal and seafood
market in Wuhan, the capital of the central mainland province of Hubei.
She stressed that preventive measures in the country’s
international airports and seaports will minimize the risk of spreading the
virus, particularly in Manila, Kalibo, Cebu and Davao which have direct travel
links with China.
Besides health scans at ports of entry, standard
operation procedures for a possible quarantine of infected persons should
already be put in place by the Department of Health and airport authorities,
just in case WHO announces an epidemic, Ms. Marcos said.
"Ganyan kasi nangyari sa atin sa HIV. Nagulat
na lang tayo na biglang exponential na ang increase dahil hindi
tayo naging maagap. Sa Pilipinas ang may pinakamabilis na paglaganap ng sakit
sa buong Southeast Asia,” she warned.
"Dapat maging alerto at magpatupad ng
precautionary measure ang Department of Health, Manila International
Airport Authority at iba pang ahensya ng gobyerno para di makalusot ang coronavirus
na maaaring manggaling sa China, Thailand, o Japan", she stressed.
The coronavirus outbreak has killed 305 people—one of
which died in the Philippines—as of press time and has infected more than
14,300 globally.
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