The Pasay City government is closely monitoring all public schools in the city to prevent the possible outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) virus and urged all the school principals as well as teachers to conduct information campaign among the students about the virus.

School principals and teachers were told to teach their students with the help of some members of the Pasay City Health the practice of proper hygiene.

The city health officer, Dr. Cesar Encinares, said that before the school opening on orders of Mayor Wenceslao Trinidad, they intensified the information campaign on the virus and had already conducted orientation among barangay officials as well as principals and teachers.

In orienting the school principals and teachers, Encinares said that they give emphasis on teaching their students of eating nutritious food and the practice of proper hygiene.

He appealed to the students as well as the public to practice cough/sneeze etiquette such as using a tissue or a handkerchief to cover mouths when coughing or sneezing, the washing of hands, and to avoid the holding and kissing of hands.    

“We have a social responsibility. We should cover our mouths when sneezing or coughing so as to avoid spreading the virus,” Encinares stressed.

The city government, Encinares also said, had already procured personal protective equipment like caps, gowns, surgical masks, and N95 masks for the protection of health workers when attending to a patient who might be affected with the A (H1N1) virus.   

He said that surveillance nurse, Julio Alejandro Vitug, who had been tasked to closely monitor the possible outbreak of the virus in the city, has reported that Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) have been reactivated to intensify the monitoring of A (H1N1) cases in all 201 barangays in the city.

The functions of the BHERTs include the monitoring of new arrivals from A (H1N1)-affected countries, referral of suspected cases to health centers, the quarantine of close contacts of suspected cases at home for a week, the identification and quarantine of exposed persons for a week, and the consequent monitoring of signs and symptoms of the illness.

The group is also conducting an active surveillance with all 14 health centers and 4 hospitals – the Pasay City General Hospital, San Juan de Dios Hospital, Manila Adventist Medical Center, and the Air Force General Hospital – and providing regular reports on A (H1N1).

The city government also assured the public that the city is prepared for any eventuality that may arise from the eminent A (H1N1) virus.

Trinidad said in a letter to Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Alfonso Cusi, since the city is the “gateway” of the country, the Pasay City General Hospital has assigned an isolation area in the Emergency Room for suspected Influenza A (H1N1) patients as early as the 1st week of May.

In the same letter, he said Pasay City General Hospital has also prepared a 10-bed isolation ward in case the disease will reach an epidemic proportion. The isolation are in the ER and the isolation ward on the hospital’s 5th floor will be manned by two nurses and two nursing aids.

“We have the nearest hospital from the airport. In case there is a need for airline passengers with suspected Influenza A (H1N1) virus to be confined, we are ready to assist the MIAA,” Trinidad said.