The Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) on Saturday said no inbound traveler with the Nipah virus has been intercepted at Philippine airports and seaports amid heightened health surveillance.
BOQ Officer-in-Charge Director Dr. Roberto Salvador Jr. said screening measures have been in place since concerns about the virus surfaced, including monitoring passengers arriving on direct flights from India, but no suspected cases have been recorded so far.
“Sa ngayon po, mula po nang lumabas po ang issue about Nipah, wala po tayong na-mo-monitor or na-i-intercept po even po galing doon sa binabantayan nating direct flight from India,” Salvador said in a radio interview.
He added that authorities have not imposed additional travel restrictions, opting instead to intensify monitoring and screening of inbound travelers.
“Sa ngayon po, wala naman po tayong dinadagdag na travel restrictions. So ang importante lang po talaga is mino-monitor nating maigi ‘yung travelers po na galing po doon sa flight na mino-monitor natin,” he said.
“Pinapaigting po natin ‘yung pagsusuri sa kanila kung mayroon pong lagnat and ‘yung spotters po importante rin po para po makita natin, clinical eye trained sila na makakita po ng mga additional signs and symptoms kung sakaling hindi po talaga sila nag-declare ng tamang impormasyon sa e-travel po.”
Meanwhile, Department of Health (DOH) Health Promotion Bureau Director Tina Marasigan said strict border surveillance protocols are routinely enforced at all international airports and seaports, regardless of the presence of specific disease threats.
She noted that BOQ substations equipped with infrared thermal scanners are positioned at arrival areas, with two BOQ nurses assigned to each scanner.
“Dalawang BOQ nurses po ang nakatalaga sa thermal scanners na ito para ma-monitor ang temperatura ng mga papasok na pasahero galing sa ibang bansa. Tutunog po ang scanner kapag mas mataas sa 37.5 ang temperatura ng taong nabasa nito,” Marasigan said.
The DOH added that trained spotters are also deployed to visually assess passengers for symptoms such as rashes or wounds.
Those flagged undergo further interviews and physical examinations and may be referred to DOH-designated hospitals, including the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
All inbound travelers are likewise required to complete the health declaration checklist through the e-travel application to help identify passengers from flagged countries.
Earlier, the DOH said it continues to closely monitor the global situation involving the Nipah virus as part of routine disease surveillance.
Nipah is a rare zoonotic disease transmitted from animals to humans, with fruit bats as its primary reservoir.