Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. 蜜桃工作室 FILE PHOTO
There is no need yet to impose a travel ban to countries where outbreaks of the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) have been reported, Malaca帽ang said Saturday.
Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio 鈥淪onny鈥� Coloma Jr. said the World Health Organization (WHO) has not seen any reason yet to impose a travel ban to Korea and Thailand, where cases of Mers have been reported.
鈥淲ala pong ganyang advisory. Kasunod din po 鈥榶an 鈥榥ung paglilinaw ni Health Secretary Janette Garin na wala rin po tayong advisory para sa paglalakbay sa South Korea,鈥� Coloma said on state-run radio DZRB radio.
(We don鈥檛 have such advisory. This is in accordance with Health Secretary Janette Garin鈥檚 pronouncement that we do not have a travel advisory to South Korea.)
In South Korea, at least 23 have died from the deadly virus, while Thailand has confirmed its first Mers case.
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Coloma said the Philippine government is ready for the threat of Mers in case it enters the country.
鈥淪a bahagi naman po ng ating pamahalaan, ganap ang atin pong kahandaan na labanan ang banta ng Mers coronavirus,鈥� he said.
He said the government has quarantine procedures in place to identify and deal with people suspected to have Mers.
The government, he said, has intensified its information campaign among overseas Filipino workers especially health professionals from countries that have cases of Mers.
Health Secretary Janette Garin has earlier urged the public not to panic over聽Mers since the Philippines remains free of the dreaded disease.
Garin allayed the public鈥檚 fears by saying that the Mers virus was not airborne but was mainly transferred through respiratory droplets.
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