Cops to aid DOH against spread of swine flu virus

MANILA, Philippines - To help prevent the possible outbreak of Mexican swine flu in the country, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Thursday it is ready assist the Department of Health (DOH) in quarantining suspected carriers of the virus. PNP spokesman Nicanor Bartolome said they already met with the DOH on how the police would help government agencies in halting the spread of the virus, which the World Health Organization declared a notch closer to becoming a pandemic. The virus, a mix of pig, bird and human influenza strains, had claimed the life of a toddler in the United States and 168 people in Mexico. It had also spread to Canada, New Zealand, Britain, Germany, Spain, Israel, Austria, and Switzerland. “The Aviation Security Group will be the first to undergo training on Friday and those that are deployed in seaports will follow," Bartolome said in a press briefing in Camp Crame Wednesday afternoon. According to Malacañang, a 24-hour monitoring and command center led by the DOH was created to prevent the onslaught of disease. Airport authorities have also placed medical personnel to man their thermal scanners to detect suspected virus-carriers. Like the public, the PNP spokesman also told all police units to follow the DOH advisory to wash their hands, update their knowledge on Mexican swine flu, distance themselves from flu-infected people, and cover their mouths when sneezing in order to prevent viral contamination. “They cannot just approach the suspected carriers so the PNP Health Service is now considering the equipment to be purchased," Bartolome said. “The prevention effort can actually be summed up as W.I.S.E. – washing, information, social distancing, and etiquette," Bartolome added. Malacañang said the country was prepared to battle the disease as it reactivated the prevention plans originally intended for the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the avian influenza. – With Katrina Elaine Alba, GMANews.TV