House health panel OKs bills on Center for Disease Control, Virology Institute

The House health panel on Thursday approved measures creating the Philippine Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Virology Institute more than two years after the country was grounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The unnumbered consolidated House bill establishing CDC grants it the technical authority on all matters regarding disease prevention and control by performing the following functions:

• providing technical guidance to the development of policies, programs, standards, guidelines, and monitoring and evaluation systems on  the  forecasting, prevention, monitoring, and control of diseases, injuries, and disabilities both of national and international concern;
• setting standards and the process for the establishment of Epidemiology and Surveillance Units or its corresponding surveillance reporting units, pursuant to law
• providing  quality  assurance  programs  to  ensure  the  quality  of  testing  forlaboratories;
• recommending to the President, through the Department of Health (DOH), Secretary, the declaration of a state  or public  health  emergency,  in  case  of an  epidemic  of  national  or international concern
• developing, implementing, and maintaining training programs on specialized fields such as  field  epidemiology,  health  emergency  of  biological  concern,  laboratory services, infectious and tropical diseases, and non-communicable diseases
• providing technical assistance and expert services to DOH offices
• developing, implementing, and maintaining an integrated surveillance system   of diseases, injuries, and disabilities;
• providing  technical guidance on the development, implementation and maintenance,  and  monitoring  of health  system  capacity  such  as operational capacities  of health facilities,  and performance  management  of the response systems in terms of contact tracing, quarantine, isolation, and other significant population-based health services
• investigating and responding, through surveillance and disease notification, and conduct of field studies and research to outbreaks, epidemics, and other public health threats as the need arises, and
• developing and maintaining a network of public health laboratories in support of epidemiology and surveillance activities, among others

In fulfillment of these mandate, the bill transferred the following DOH units under CDC jurisdiction:

• Epidemiology Bureau
• Research Institute for Tropical Medicine
• Sexually Transmitted Disease - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Cooperative
• Central Laboratory
• Select functions of the  International Health Surveillance Division of the Bureau of Quarantine such as passive international health surveillance, development of communication methods for wider and more effective delivery of critical public health information with international importance and technical and standard setting functions of the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, including that of the Mental Health Division, Cancer Division and Oral Health Division

The CDC, however, will still be under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health.

“The COVID-19 outbreak which started in 2019 took the world by surprise, particularly with how fast the disease spread among the people. It reminded everyone that communicable and infectious diseases and public health threats respect no borders. As of June 22, 2022, more than 3.7 million COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the country since the beginning of the COVID-1 9 pandemic. Aside from COVID-19, the country also faced various disease outbreaks in 2019 alone, including measles, dengue, polio, and diphtheria,”  Representatives Mikaela Suansing of Nueva Ecija and Horacio Suansing Jr. of Sultan Kudarat said in their explanatory note on the measure.

“These outbreaks, particularly the sudden rise of COVID-19 cases in 2020, highlighted the government's lack of preparedness and capability in our public health units to effectively prevent and control the spread of communicable and infectious diseases. The Department of Health's efforts are duly recognized, however, there is clearly a need to reform the government's current policies on disease threats and control of infectious diseases. It is in the nation's best interest to create a technical authority on all matters regarding disease prevention and control,” they added.

The unnumbered consolidate House Bill establishing Virology Institute, meanwhile, mandates the institute to focus on  key  development  areas  for  virology  science  and  technology  applications  in  plants, animals and humans by doing the following:

• research on viruses using a modem approach such as molecular biology and its application or biotechnology
• development of diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics
• international cooperation and network of databases of virus infections
• operation of a virus gene bank, virus genome laboratory, and virus reference laboratory to focus on viruses circulating in the Philippines for disease prevention and epidemiological studies and
• operation of a virus high containment laboratory dedicated to the study of highly infectious and a highly pathogenic virus

The Virology Institute will be under the jurisdiction of the Department of Science and Technology.

“The COVID 19 pandemic phenomenon unequivocally demonstrated the rapidity with which new viruses and their variants can travel across the globe and inflict misery. There can be no further argument that our best hope, as that of humankind, for preventing and treatment of infectious diseases and viral infections in humans, as to plants and animals, come from vigorous research  and stepping up development breakthroughs in the field of virology and application of advancement in technology for maximum gains in the campaign for sustainable public health response,” Representatives Martin and Yedda Romualdez of Leyte and Tingog party-list, respectively, said in their explanatory note on the measure.

“The proposed establishment of the Philippine Virology Science and Technology Institute is a concrete step and strategic response not only in our fierce fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in ensuring our public health emergency preparedness and response. The proposed institute may [also] explore other fields, such as enteric infections and respiratory infections, central nervous system infections, viral infections in the immunocompromised hosts, antiviral and antimicrobial resistance, viral diversity, plant and animal pathology, plant and animal virus interactions, and major plant and animal viruses, including the development of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics,” they added. — Llanesca T. Panti/RSJ, GMA Integrated News