Ex-Health official clarifies quarantine vs isolation

A FORMER official of the Department of Health (DoH) on Tuesday explained the distinction between people placed under quarantine and isolation amid global concern over hantavirus.

“When you use the term ‘isolate,’ it means that a person already has the disease,” Dr. Enrique A. Tayag, former DoH undersecretary, said in Filipino during a dengue forum led by the Philippine Medical Association and the Empowering Networks to Defeat Dengue (E.N.D. Dengue) coalition.

“But if a person is only being monitored or observed, that is called quarantine,” he added, noting that understanding the distinction is important to avoid the terms being used interchangeably.

Individuals who may have contracted hantavirus, particularly the Andes virus strain, must undergo a 42-day quarantine period, Mr. Tayag said, as symptoms may appear within that timeframe.

Although no hantavirus cases have been reported in the country as of this writing, the DoH, along with the Bureau of Quarantine (BoQ) and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), is coordinating with the World Health Organization to monitor the situation involving the MV Hondius, the agency said in a videographic released on Monday.

Border screening measures are also being implemented in airports and seaports nationwide to promptly detect possible cases.

Passengers are required to fill out health declaration forms through the eGov app. Travelers coming from flagged countries or those showing symptoms are brought to the BoQ for further assessment.

They are also monitored for symptoms and screened through infrared thermal scanners to detect high fever.

Individuals flagged by the BoQ undergo questioning, regarding their travel history and possible exposure, and are subjected to physical examination.

Those found to be ill are referred to isolation facilities and DoH hospitals, such as the RITM, for appropriate treatment and monitoring.

Amid global concern over hantavirus, the DoH reminded the public to follow official advisories, seek accurate information about the virus, and keep their surroundings clean. — Edg Adrian A. Eva