PHILIPPINE government agencies have started coordinating their efforts to protect the public
from the avian influenza (bird flu) virus after Hong Kong officials confirmed this week its first
infection in seven years.
Passengers from Hong Kong will be strictly monitored at the airport to prevent the entry of
bird flu in the country, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said Friday.
Ona said the Department of Health (DOH), in coordination with airport authorities, will re-
intensify the monitoring of in-bound passengers through installed thermal scanners at the
Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
He added that the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources have intensified their bird flu watch.
The DOH has also said that it has enough stockpile of Tamiflu in case the bird flu enters the
country.
The World Health Organization revealed that human cases of bird flu or the H5N1 virus
have only been reported in 6 countries – Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey, and
Vietnam. (PIA)
