Alert on human swine flu-afflicted states

Over 100 persons have died in Mexico from the human swine influenza outbreak, while neighboring United States has reported a few confirmed cases.
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said in a press conference there is no travel ban to the affected countries, but a health alert has been issued to travelers going to and coming from Mexico and the US.
"There is no travel ban but we are asking travelers to reconsider travel to Mexico and United States," said Mr. Duque.
As this developed, the government might issue a temporary ban on imports of pork and pork products from Canada following reports of human swine flu infection in that country, an Agriculture official said yesterday.
"We can include Canada [in the import ban] if we confirm the reports of swine influenza. We will recommend it to [Agriculture] Secretary [Arthur C. Yap]," Davinio P. Catbagan, director of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), told reporters in a separate briefing.
Mr. Catbagan said they are verifying if the World Organization for Animal Health will advise a ban on the shipment of pork and pork products from Canada.
Mr. Yap has issued a ban on imports from the US and Mexico on Saturday even if the country does not buy products from Mexico.
The swine flu is a new strain of influenza that can cause rapid deterioration in humans, even death in three to five days. The virus’s incubation is from four to 10 days.
Mr. Duque said the Philippines has enough medicine to treat symptoms of the flu-like virus due to the stockpiling of the anti-flu drug Tamiflu during the outbreak of avian influenza in 2003. But he admitted the World Health Organization has yet to come up with a vaccine against the new lethal strain.
The DoH has recommended for the public to adopt precautionary measures to contain a possible spread of the virus such as covering the nose and mouth while coughing, regular washing of hands and avoiding close contact with sick people.
In the same press conference, Dr. Enrique A. Tayag, director of the National Epidemiology Center, said the virus is not yet in the country. "The strain is entirely new so we don’t know much about it. We are awaiting some updates from the World Health Organization (WHO)."
He added the Department of Health will be swabbing patients showing symptoms of the swine flu for WHO testing.
Despite the precautions, the department said social distancing is not needed. "There is no need to result to social distancing yet because we are not yet sure if the disease is here," said Mr. Duque.
The DoH has asked those experiencing fever, coughing, followed by vomiting or diarrhea to immediately contact the department for quarantine in the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it has not yet received reports of Filipinos in Mexico who have been afflicted with the swine flu.
There are around 300 Filipinos living in Mexico, including 21 permanent residents, as of June 2008.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban B. Conejos, Jr. yesterday said overseas Filipinos suspected to have contracted the disease must immediately contact health authorities and the Philippine embassy.
The outbreak, described by WHO as a possible pandemic risk, has reportedly infected 1,614 people. Six cases of the swine flu were recorded in Canada and 20 in the US.