Another Filipino peacekeeper tested for Ebola

Rappler.com

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The peacekeeper, who became dizzy and nauseous after a basketball game while in quarantine on Caballo Island, is brought to a Manila-based hospital
HOME: UN Peacekeepers from Liberia arrive at the Philippine Air Force headquarters in Villamor Air Base. Photo courtesy of PH Air Force

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, November 25, said another Filipino United Nations (UN) peacekeeper in quarantine on Caballo Island was tested for Ebola after suffering hypertension. 

DOH Spokesperson Lyndon Lee Suy said the peacekeeper, who became dizzy and nauseous after a basketball game, was brought to a Manila-based hospital, the SunStar reported.

Experts from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine – the country’s main referral center for Ebola – went to the still unnamed hospital to take blood samples of the peacekeeper. 

The turnaround time before knowing the results is from 24 to 48 hours. (READ: WHO: PH is systematic, meticulous about Ebola)

The testing is part of the health department’s precautionary measures to keep the Philippines Ebola-free. (READ: DOH to quarantine OFWs from Ebola-hit countries)

The 133 UN peacekeepers arrived in the country on November 12, at the Philippine Air Force (PAF) headquarters in Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

All the 108 soldiers, 24 cops, and a jail officer who served the UN Mission in Liberia are currently under a 3-week precautionary quarantine on Caballo Island, a Philippine Navy outpost located at the mouth of Manila Bay in Cavite City. 

They initially tested negative for Ebola, based on a screening conducted by the UN health team. One of them tested positive for malaria. (READ: Quarantine for Liberia troops: We’re playing safe – DOH)

Another batch of 4 peacekeepers arrived in Manila last Saturday, November 22, and were quarantined in the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center in Quezon City “based on the guidance from DOH,” the military said Tuesday.

The Ebola virus, which can be transmitted through bodily fluids, causes severe fever, muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, and diarrhea. In some cases, it also causes organ failure, unstoppable bleeding, and can kill victims in just days. (READ: 5 misconceptions about Ebola)

The World Health Organization said on Friday, November 21, that the 2014 Ebola outbreak has already killed 5,459 people from 15,351 cases, mostly in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. – Rappler.com

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