Coast Guard places sea vessels, ports on guard against Ebola
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has issued a maritime safety advisory on precautions against the dreaded Ebola virus, which has claimed over 4,000 lives, mostly in West Africa.
In a bulletin, Vice Adm. Rodolfo Isorena on Thursday directed vessel owners and operators and other shipping industry stakeholders concerned to immediately report to the PCG any Ebola-related hazardous conditions on their vessels.
“Vessel representatives are required to report sick or deceased crew members or ship passengers within the last 15 days,” he said.
The PCG, an attached agency of the Department of Transportation and Communications, “will review all Notices of Arrival to determine if a cargo or passenger vessel had visited a country impacted by the Ebola virus outbreak within its last five ports of call,” he said.
“Local industry stakeholders, in partnership with the Coast Guard, are also required to review and be familiar with the procedures for vessel quarantine and isolation, as well as the procedures for security segregation of vessels in their respective maritime security plans,” said the PCG head.
According to Isorena, the PCG is keeping an eye on the Ebola threat and is working to avert the waterborne entry or spread of the virus via Philippine ports.
“Any suspected Ebola case in the maritime environment will be considered an incident of significant national interest, so timely notification of the PCG is vitally important and will help ensure the most appropriate condition between the command, the Department of Health, Bureau of Quarantine and local authorities,” he said.
Commander Armand Balilo, PCG spokesperson, said that among the key points to remember about Ebola are:
- Its symptoms include fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat and weakness, followed by diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain. Skin rashes, red eyes and internal and external bleeding may also be seen in some patients;
- Travelers could be infected if they come into contact with blood and other body fluids from someone who is sick or has died from Ebola or an infected animal; and
- Health care providers caring for Ebola patients and family and friends in close contact with a sick person are at the highest risk because they may come into contact with blood or body fluids of that person.
Balilo, who is also chief of the agency’s public affairs office, urged seafarers to monitor their health for 21 days if they happen to be in an area with an Ebola outbreak.
