Category: Ebola

Outbreak? Don’t Panic! 5 Debunked Myths About The Dreaded Ebola Disease

PRNEWS Leave a comment

Ebola is the latest epidemic to hit the modern world. This highly dreaded disease first made its mark in Africa has caused a global frenzy ever since due to the deadliness of its symptoms. Mass hysteria is growing rampant, with many people avoiding crowds, stacking up medicine for fever, and following the news regarding the disease.

While it’s good for you to keep a sharp eye out for any signs of ebola outbreak, you shouldn’t cave in to the same fear currently crippling the world senseless. Better instead to get educated with these authentic facts that would prove, once and for all, that the virus actually isn’t as dire as it seems. Here are some myths about the disease, debunked for your convenience:

 Ebola is Highly Contagious

There’s no doubt that ebola is a communicable disease, but its mode of transmission actually makes it hard for people to catch the disease. It’s not airborne, for one thing, so you can stand close or even talk to an infected person and remain completely safe.

You can get the virus, though, from a patient’s body fluids and excrements. So if by some chance (a very low one, considering that the disease is difficult to transmit) you get in contact with someone with ebola, stay well away from their blood, vomit, fecal matter, urine, tears, sweat, and saliva.

Ebola Always Causes Bleeding

There have been loads of documented cases about ebola patients suffering from unexplained bleeding. However, not all patients do! In fact, it’s proven that only 18% of patients have showed such symptoms.

Ebola used to be called a hemorrhagic fever virus, but the World Health Organization has deemed it inappropriate because not all of its victims suffer the same problem.

Ebola Will Surely Kill You

With everything you’ve probably heard on TV, the papers, radio, and online, you’re probably thinking that contracting the disease automatically seals your fate. That, of course, is an exaggeration!

Although the virus’s mortality rate did shoot up to 90% recently, it’s because most of the victims live in West African countries, places that have very poor healthcare systems. And aside from the lack of facilities, people in those countries have been known to visit the hospital when the disease is already in its advanced stages.

Everyone With Ebola-Like Symptoms Need To Be Quarantined

They say you can never be too careful. In this case, however, being too careful will cause inconvenience to many people as well as waste a lot of time and resources. Say that the government did quarantine everyone showing ebola-like symptoms. What if it’s not the disease, but something else more minor like influenza? Seriously, they could take a few lessons so as to not confuse a flu patient from an ebola-infected one!

Ebola Can Be Caught From Someone Perfectly Healthy

It’s common knowledge that the virus has an incubation period (the time when a disease is still dormant) of 21 days. Considering the length of time you need to wait, it’s easy for you to assume that a person with ebola has been to a lot of places while the disease is still inactive, infecting several people along the way.

In reality, that’s not how things actually are! Ebola patients that still haven’t manifested any symptoms are not yet contagious, so you don’t have to worry about catching it from a completely random stranger.Ebola may be an awful disease to have, but you don’t have to fear catching it to the point that you can’t live your life properly anymore. Do all the necessary precautions to avoid the virus, but keep your facts straight, buddy!

Ebola may be an awful disease to have, but you don’t have to fear catching it to the point that you can’t live your life properly anymore. Do all the necessary precautions to avoid the virus, but keep your facts straight, buddy!

The reign of the idiots

Ellen Leave a comment

Health Acting Secretary Janet Garin and AFP Chief Gregorio Pio Catapang in Caballo island.

Health Acting Secretary Janet Garin and AFP Chief Gregorio Pio Catapang in Caballo island.


I’m staggered by the justifications of Health Acting Secretary Janet Garin and Armed Forces Chief Malacañang of their visit to the quarantined peacekeepers in Caballo Island in Cavite which Malacañang approves.

Garin and Catapang have drawn flak for what many see as violation of the idea of quarantine.

The peacekeepers from Ebola-stricken Liberia are on 21-day quarantine, an international procedure to prevent the deadly virus from spreading.

More than 5,000 have died from Ebola which is raging in West African countries notably Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. Several cases of the disease manifesting after persons, mostly health workers ,from West Africa have returned to their countries like the United States.

Garin and Catapang went to Caballo Island Sunday (Nov. 16), with a photographer, not wearing Personal Protective Equipment.

Anthony Leachon, president of the Philippine College of Physicians said, ““It was a breach of protocol — quarantine is an enforced isolation during the 21-day incubation period” of the virus.”

Leachon said the visit of the two officials in Caballo Island “sends a wrong signal” as the DOH and medical and health organizations embark on an intensive information campaign on precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Ebola, in case it comes to the country.

Garin said she went there to make sure that the peacekeepers were provided with proper facilities and medical treatment while on quarantine.

She is that hands-on?

A good executive would be able to accomplish that objective without personally going there. In this age of mobile phones, a personal visit to the island is unnecessary.

But of course, if she didn’t go there, she and Catapang would not be in the news.They need to be in the news as preparation for their 2016 election agenda.

As to their non-use of the PEE, Garin said it was not necessary since none of the peacekeepers was showing symptoms of Ebola.

But Ebola’s incubation period is 21 days, thus the quarantine requirement.

In the case of Thomas Eric Duncan, a taxi driver in Liberia who helped carry an Ebola victim, Marthalene Williams, to the hospital on Sept. 15, he developed fever only nine days after when he was already in the United States.

Garin said PPEs are expensive and limited in supply. “We are saving the PPE as the need arises. It is better that we have the PPE available when we already need them.”

Then, why did she and Catapang have to go to Caballo island? The soldiers, trained for adverse situations, would not have minded at all even if they didn’t come.

Of course, again, there’s the photo-op which those with higher political ambitions find hard to resist.

But the classic reason was Catapang’s. He said it was Garin’s idea to visit the peacekeepers and since the acting health secretary said it was okay, then it was okay.

There’s a word for what they are and what they did. It starts with “I”. The synonym starts with “S”. In tagalog, the word starts with “T.”

The reign of the idiots

Ellen Leave a comment

Health Acting Secretary Janet Garin and AFP Chief Gregorio Pio Catapang in Caballo island.

Health Acting Secretary Janet Garin and AFP Chief Gregorio Pio Catapang in Caballo island.


I’m staggered by the justifications of Health Acting Secretary Janet Garin and Armed Forces Chief Malacañang of their visit to the quarantined peacekeepers in Caballo Island in Cavite which Malacañang approves.

Garin and Catapang have drawn flak for what many see as violation of the idea of quarantine.

The peacekeepers from Ebola-stricken Liberia are on 21-day quarantine, an international procedure to prevent the deadly virus from spreading.

More than 5,000 have died from Ebola which is raging in West African countries notably Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. Several cases of the disease manifesting after persons, mostly health workers ,from West Africa have returned to their countries like the United States.

Garin and Catapang went to Caballo Island Sunday (Nov. 16), with a photographer, not wearing Personal Protective Equipment.

Anthony Leachon, president of the Philippine College of Physicians said, ““It was a breach of protocol — quarantine is an enforced isolation during the 21-day incubation period” of the virus.”

Leachon said the visit of the two officials in Caballo Island “sends a wrong signal” as the DOH and medical and health organizations embark on an intensive information campaign on precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Ebola, in case it comes to the country.

Garin said she went there to make sure that the peacekeepers were provided with proper facilities and medical treatment while on quarantine.

She is that hands-on?

A good executive would be able to accomplish that objective without personally going there. In this age of mobile phones, a personal visit to the island is unnecessary.

But of course, if she didn’t go there, she and Catapang would not be in the news.They need to be in the news as preparation for their 2016 election agenda.

As to their non-use of the PEE, Garin said it was not necessary since none of the peacekeepers was showing symptoms of Ebola.

But Ebola’s incubation period is 21 days, thus the quarantine requirement.

In the case of Thomas Eric Duncan, a taxi driver in Liberia who helped carry an Ebola victim, Marthalene Williams, to the hospital on Sept. 15, he developed fever only nine days after when he was already in the United States.

Garin said PPEs are expensive and limited in supply. “We are saving the PPE as the need arises. It is better that we have the PPE available when we already need them.”

Then, why did she and Catapang have to go to Caballo island? The soldiers, trained for adverse situations, would not have minded at all even if they didn’t come.

Of course, again, there’s the photo-op which those with higher political ambitions find hard to resist.

But the classic reason was Catapang’s. He said it was Garin’s idea to visit the peacekeepers and since the acting health secretary said it was okay, then it was okay.

There’s a word for what they are and what they did. It starts with “I”. The synonym starts with “S”. In tagalog, the word starts with “T.”

Leachon: 21- day exit screening for Filipinos in West Africa before coming home

Ellen Leave a comment

Dr. Tony Leachon

Dr. Tony Leachon

The Philippine College of Physicians, headed by Dr. Anthony Leachon, is recommending that the Philippine government require returning Filipinos from West Africa, where there is a widespread outbreak of the killer disease Ebola, to undergo exit screening there before being allowed to come home.

That is on top of the quarantine required upon their arrival in the Philippines.

The exit screening, Leachon explained, should be quarantine for 21 days, blood tests and questionnaire before traveling back to Manila.

Upon arriving in the Philippines, Leachon said they should also be quarantined for at least seven days to a maximum of 21 days.

Leachon said the longer quarantine is important based on the new findings of the World Health Organization that the incubation period of Ebola is 42 days and not 21 days.

“We need to raise the energy level of the government Ebola response team to involve more agencies and ensure a checklist is in place starting off from exit screening in West Africa,” he said.

Ebola virus poster
Leachon said ” NAIA should be prepared for the influx of OFWs in the next three months with the planned voluntary or mandatory repatriation in mid-November in the event of progressive rise in outbreak cases. The forthcoming Christmas season and the Papal visit in January will make the preparations more challenging in terms of resource allocations.”

An epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) is ongoing in certain West African countries notably Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. Over 4,500 persons have already died from the disease which has no vaccine and cure as of now.

There have been Ebola cases in Nigeria (eight have died) but yesterday the country was declared Ebola-free by WHO. Health experts cited the Nigerian government’s strong political will and effective health surveillance system.

Leachon said controlling the Ebola virus outbreak at the source in West Africa is the most effective way to decrease international risk of transmission citing a research paper published in The Lancet by Dr. Kamran Khan, a physician and researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

Dr. Khan, who examined global airline travel patterns to predict the spread of diseases, said that every month, three Ebola-infected travellers are likely to leave West Africa and this number would only increase as the epidemic grows.

“We should protect our country first from the entry of Ebola virus, especially those coming from West African countries that are in the area of greatest peril. This should be the focus of our efforts in the light of the looming global epidemic on the dreaded virus,” Leachon said.

The PCP is accelerating the mobilization of the 10,000 members to help the government in disseminating information to all stakeholders – schools, workplace, and the communities.

“We should prepare all hospitals of whatever level, to make sure health personnel and all health facilities are prepared to handle suspected cases of Ebola. We need to build new areas where the 3,000 Filipinos coming home from west Africa in November can be accommodated when the alert level is raised, and in anticipation of the Christmas holiday season,” Leachon said.

Leachon cites the case of a taxi driver in Liberia, Thomas Eric Duncan, who helped carry an Ebola victim, Marthalene Williams, to the hospital last Sept. 15.

William’s family, who owned the apartment that Duncan was renting, requested him to accompany them to the hospital because there was no ambulance available. Four days later, on Sept. 19, Duncan left for America, taking a Brussels Airlines flight to Belgium, where he boarded a United Airlines flight to Washington’s Dulles Airport. Duncan did not reveal his contact with the disease in a questionnaire he filled out at the Monrovia airport. From Washington, he took another UA flight, arriving in Dallas early in the evening of Sept. 20. There he stayed with his girlfriend and her five children.

On Sept. 24, Duncan complained of high fever and abdominal pain, prompting his partner to take him to the emergency room of the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. Again, when asked, he lied about his contact with the disease. He was diagnosed with a mild viral infection and sent home with a prescription of antibiotics.

Four days later, he was back in the same hospital with more severe symptoms. On Sept. 30, Duncan’s Ebola diagnosis was confirmed, and he was given the experimental drug “Brincidofovir.” He, however, could not be saved. On Oct. 8, he became the first person to die from Ebola in the United States.

Leachon said the PCP has formed a Task force on Ebola to assist the government in educating the public schools, workplace and the LGUs and in training healthcare professionals to address this epidemic.

Leachon: 21- day exit screening for Filipinos in West Africa before coming home

Ellen Leave a comment

Dr. Tony Leachon

Dr. Tony Leachon

The Philippine College of Physicians, headed by Dr. Anthony Leachon, is recommending that the Philippine government require returning Filipinos from West Africa, where there is a widespread outbreak of the killer disease Ebola, to undergo exit screening there before being allowed to come home.

That is on top of the quarantine required upon their arrival in the Philippines.

The exit screening, Leachon explained, should be quarantine for 21 days, blood tests and questionnaire before traveling back to Manila.

Upon arriving in the Philippines, Leachon said they should also be quarantined for at least seven days to a maximum of 21 days.

Leachon said the longer quarantine is important based on the new findings of the World Health Organization that the incubation period of Ebola is 42 days and not 21 days.

“We need to raise the energy level of the government Ebola response team to involve more agencies and ensure a checklist is in place starting off from exit screening in West Africa,” he said.

Ebola virus poster
Leachon said ” NAIA should be prepared for the influx of OFWs in the next three months with the planned voluntary or mandatory repatriation in mid-November in the event of progressive rise in outbreak cases. The forthcoming Christmas season and the Papal visit in January will make the preparations more challenging in terms of resource allocations.”

An epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) is ongoing in certain West African countries notably Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. Over 4,500 persons have already died from the disease which has no vaccine and cure as of now.

There have been Ebola cases in Nigeria (eight have died) but yesterday the country was declared Ebola-free by WHO. Health experts cited the Nigerian government’s strong political will and effective health surveillance system.

Leachon said controlling the Ebola virus outbreak at the source in West Africa is the most effective way to decrease international risk of transmission citing a research paper published in The Lancet by Dr. Kamran Khan, a physician and researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

Dr. Khan, who examined global airline travel patterns to predict the spread of diseases, said that every month, three Ebola-infected travellers are likely to leave West Africa and this number would only increase as the epidemic grows.

“We should protect our country first from the entry of Ebola virus, especially those coming from West African countries that are in the area of greatest peril. This should be the focus of our efforts in the light of the looming global epidemic on the dreaded virus,” Leachon said.

The PCP is accelerating the mobilization of the 10,000 members to help the government in disseminating information to all stakeholders – schools, workplace, and the communities.

“We should prepare all hospitals of whatever level, to make sure health personnel and all health facilities are prepared to handle suspected cases of Ebola. We need to build new areas where the 3,000 Filipinos coming home from west Africa in November can be accommodated when the alert level is raised, and in anticipation of the Christmas holiday season,” Leachon said.

Leachon cites the case of a taxi driver in Liberia, Thomas Eric Duncan, who helped carry an Ebola victim, Marthalene Williams, to the hospital last Sept. 15.

William’s family, who owned the apartment that Duncan was renting, requested him to accompany them to the hospital because there was no ambulance available. Four days later, on Sept. 19, Duncan left for America, taking a Brussels Airlines flight to Belgium, where he boarded a United Airlines flight to Washington’s Dulles Airport. Duncan did not reveal his contact with the disease in a questionnaire he filled out at the Monrovia airport. From Washington, he took another UA flight, arriving in Dallas early in the evening of Sept. 20. There he stayed with his girlfriend and her five children.

On Sept. 24, Duncan complained of high fever and abdominal pain, prompting his partner to take him to the emergency room of the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. Again, when asked, he lied about his contact with the disease. He was diagnosed with a mild viral infection and sent home with a prescription of antibiotics.

Four days later, he was back in the same hospital with more severe symptoms. On Sept. 30, Duncan’s Ebola diagnosis was confirmed, and he was given the experimental drug “Brincidofovir.” He, however, could not be saved. On Oct. 8, he became the first person to die from Ebola in the United States.

Leachon said the PCP has formed a Task force on Ebola to assist the government in educating the public schools, workplace and the LGUs and in training healthcare professionals to address this epidemic.