DOH warns public vs. health problems due to coronavirus

In a health advisory, the DOH said the coronavirus is from a family of viruses that cause various diseases characterized by cough and colds leading to serious infections, pneumonia, acute respiratory syndrome, kidney problems, and even death. (File Photo: Department of Health (Philippines)/Facebook)

MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday warned the public against the health issues which may be caused by a coronavirus.

In a health advisory, the DOH said the coronavirus is from a family of viruses that cause various diseases characterized by cough and colds leading to serious infections, pneumonia, acute respiratory syndrome, kidney problems, and even death.

Its other symptoms include fever, difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath.

“Ugaliing maghugas lagi ng kamay at iwasan and kontak sa mga hayop (Make handwashing a habit and avoid contact with animals),” the DOH said.

It also advised the public to avoid those who have cough and colds and to always cover one’s mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing to stop the possible spread of the virus.

“Uminom ng maraming tubig at siguraduhing luto ang mga pagkain. Agarang komunsulta sa health facility kung may sintomas ng ubo’t sipon lalo na kung bumiyahe sa (Drink plenty of water and ensure food are cooked properly. Consult a health facility if symptoms of cough and colds persist especially if you came from) Wuhan, China,” the DOH said.

On Tuesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the DOH is looking into a suspected case of novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV after the arrival of a five-year-old Chinese boy who showed signs of fever, cough and throat irritation in Cebu City.

Duque reported that the boy is “stable and afebrile” despite having cough, adding that the samples taken from him have been tested at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and yielded negative results for Severe Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Citing that there are six known strains of the coronavirus, including MERS-CoV and SARS, DOH director for Epidemiology Bureau Ferchito Avelino said the virus that infected the boy could be any of the four other strains of coronavirus and “not necessarily the 2019-nCoV”.

The DOH’s Bureau of Quarantine traced the boy’s co-passengers within four seats from his spot. None of them showed symptoms of contracting the virus.