The Department of Health assured the public that no Ebola cases have been recorded in the Philippines amid the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“To be very clear, wala po tayong kaso ng Ebola sa Pilipinas,” DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo said in radio interview.
Domingo also urged Filipinos not to panic, saying the country remains at low risk due to its distance from West Africa, where the outbreak is concentrated.
“Sa ngayon ang panahon natin ay low risk,” he said.
The DOH official said the World Health Organization has not recommended any travel ban related to the Ebola outbreak, and the Philippines will not impose one.
However, the Bureau of Quarantine will implement enhanced screening for travelers coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
According to Domingo, the Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda has been declared by the WHO as a public health emergency of international concern.
The outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which the WHO said has a high risk of spreading further in countries sharing borders with Congo.
Domingo clarified that Ebola is not airborne like COVID-19 and is instead transmitted through contact with infected body fluids.
He said early symptoms include headache, fever, and body pain, followed by diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea.
The DOH spokesperson noted that the Philippines previously recorded four instances involving the Reston strain of Ebola in 1989, 1992, 1996, and 2008, but clarified that the strain did not cause illness in humans.
He added that health authorities are now closely monitoring the Bundibugyo strain, which has a case fatality rate of around 40 to 50 percent and currently has no approved vaccine or treatment.
Based on WHO data, Domingo said around 700 suspected Ebola cases have already been recorded in the ongoing outbreak.
The DOH also advised the public to maintain a healthy lifestyle to strengthen immunity against diseases.
