GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Mindanao has remained free from the dreaded Influenza A (H1N1) virus, at least for now, but efforts have been intensified to prevent the entry of the disease in the region, an official of the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) said Tuesday.

Undersecretary Virgilio Leyretana, MEDCo chair, said all Customs, Immigration, Quarantine, Security (CIQS) centers in Mindanao have so far reported no incident of Influenza A in the island.

“Our monitoring system using the CIQS showed none, so far, of any case of Influenza A (H1N1) in Mindanao. We are not taking any chances, so we placed our status to high alert to stop the entry of the disease to Mindanao,” Leyretana said.
Leyretana’s assurance came in the wake of reported rising cases of Influenza A (H1N1) cases in Luzon, where health authorities are trying to contain the spread of the disease into becoming an epidemic. Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales also confirmed this in his recent visit here and in Glan, Sarangani during groundbreaking ceremony for the P1.5 million CIQS Center, a key entry point for Indonesians entering Mindanao.

Meanwhile, Leyretana said the two cases involving a foreigner and his Filipino wife in Butuan City showed the two were cleared of Influenza A (H1N1) after a weeklong quarantine, while the two other reported cases in Polomolok were not true.

The CIQS is a measure of Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines (BIMP) East Asean Growth Area (EAGA) designed to spur regional economic cooperation, investments and tourism through common policy on Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security.