Enterovirus in PH no cause for alarm—Dr. Sabitsana

MANILA, Philippines—Dr. Egdardo Sabitsana, chief of the Bureau of Quarantine and International Health Surveillance, said on Wednesday the case of two children earlier reported as positive of contacting enterovirus is not a cause for alarm to the public.

In an interview with anchors John Susi, Den Macaranas and Captain Dylan Halili of Radyo Inquirer 990 AM, he said the disease is not as virulent as the one that killed children in Cambodia.

“In fact, we’ve had enterovirus a long time ago but it’s not as dangerous as the Cambodia strain,” he said.

He advised the public, however, to immediately consult medical authorities not quack doctors or rely on over-the-counter medicine if they see rashes in hands, feet and mouth of children.

The Bureau of Quarantine is an agency under the Department of Health tasked, among others, to “conduct surveillance and institutes measures to prevent the entry of diseases subject to International Health Regulations and other emerging and re-emerging diseases and health concerns from other countries that may impact on public health in the Philippines.”