DOH: No planned lockdown despite spread of influenza-like illnesses

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa during a press conference on Friday, October 17, 2025 in BGC Taguig City. Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has no plan to implement a lockdown in any part of the country due to flu or influenza-like illnesses.

DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa emphasized this in a press briefing on Friday, adding that there is no outbreak of flu, cough, fever, or other respiratory diseases in the country.

“There is no planned lockdown; that is fake news. What we have is the seasonal respiratory illnesses, so it’s not a flu outbreak. We do not have a flu outbreak,” Herbosa said.

According to the DOH chief, the country is merely experiencing the influenza-like illnesses season, leading to the increase in flu cases.

READ: DepEd suspends face-to-face classes

“It is our ILI (influenza-like illnesses) season… It has many diseases. And these are diseases like cough, cold, flu and all others similar to that. That spreads very fast during rainy season,” he said in Filipino, noting that the DOH is currently monitoring those.

“We don’t have an outbreak from a single virus, so there is no need to declare a lockdown,” added the official.

‘Wearing masks, staying at home when sick recommended’

Meanwhile, Herbosa said that the DOH recommends the wearing of face masks or staying at home for those having influenza-like illnesses.

READ: DepEd suspends face-to-face classes

“That’s the public health recommendation because it’s our season for these influenza-like illnesses, which you get by respiratory spread. Maybe if you’re sick, don’t go to work, don’t go to school,” he pointed out, while also clarifying that these are optional and not a policy.

With this, the DOH chief commended the Department of Education (DepEd) for canceling face-to-face classes in public schools in Metro Manila from October 13 to October 14 due to the increased number of influenza-like illnesses among students and the impacts of the recent earthquakes that hit the country.

“It’s actually also good because, I think the kids, if they don’t go to school, won’t infect each other. My fear is that kids will get infected; they recover after 3 to 5 days, but if they bring it home to a grandfather, grandmother, or someone who’s on dialysis, they might die,” Herbosa said.

“So in a way, that’s okay. I’m not against doing alternative methods of education,” he added.

READ: DOH: Seasonal increase in flu-like illnesses not an outbreak

‘Lesser ILI cases this year’

Despite the reported increase in influenza-like illness cases, Herbosa clarified that the cases this year were lower compared to the numbers recorded in 2024.

“For the month of September, our cases of ILI were over 155,000 last year. This September, it just ended, it was only 133,000. So less. It’s not more,” Herbosa said.

“It’s just a coincidence. Maybe people noticed it now [because] maybe they are connected to a relative that got flu or something,” he added. /mr