The Department of Health on Monday allayed fears of the possible spread of the deadly swine flu virus in the Philippines, saying that there are no reported cases of swine flu among humans in the country.

"There is no report of swine flu among humans in Philippines...Following the World Health Organization alert among member states, the DOH has stepped up surveillance measures to prevent the entry of the virus that has killed 81 people in Mexico," Health Secretary Francisco Duque said in a press conference in Manila.

Duque said the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has not reported any recent case of swine flu among hogs in Pangasinan, contrary to some newspaper reports. He also said that the swine flu virus in pigs is different from the "entirely novel [virus] strain" that has affected humans in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

The strain of Ebola Reston virus in hogs detected in several Philippine farms last year is also different from the H1N1 virus strain in Mexico.

Duque said the government has enough stockpile of the Tamiflu (oseltamivir), the anti-viral drug used to treat various types of flu. The government had increased its supplies of Tamiflu for its avian flu virus readiness plan.

Transmission by air

Dr. Eric Tayag, chief of the Department of Health's (DOH) National Epidemiology Center, said the swine flu virus is spread via aerial droplets and could be passed from pig to human or human to human. He said infected individuals could exhibit symptoms of the illness three to five days after being infected.

He said the symptoms of the swine flu virus affecting humans are similar to the common flu virus. Among the symptoms are: fever, muscle pains, sore throat, cough, cold, and even diarrhea and vomitting.

Tayag said many of the victims in Mexico are between 25 to 48 years old.

In case the goverment suspects that an individual in the Philippines has the swine flu virus, Duque said it will have to take a tissue sample from the person and send it to the World Health Organization (WHO) to see if it is the same strain as the one found in Mexico.

The DOH also clarified that a  person cannot get the swine flu virus by eating pork.

Duque said the WHO has issued a pandemic alert level 3 in an attempt to prevent the virus from spreading.

Tayag said a pandemic usually occurs every 10 to 40 years, and that the last pandemic happened in 1968. He said the virus in Mexico has the potential to be a pandemic if it is not contained.

Ports watch

The health secretary said the government is implementing measures to stop the possible entry of swine flu to the country. These include a ban on pork imports from Mexico and the United States as well as a thermal scan on all passengers coming from affected countries. He added that the Philippines does not import pork from Mexico.

Duque said the Philippines has 11 thermal scanners in its six international airports. These are now being used to scan passengers who enter the country from the affected countries. 

He also urged local government executives to inform the DOH National Epidemiology Center about any outbreak of influenza in their respective jurisdictions.

Duque said that while the DOH is not recommending a travel ban to Mexico and other affected countries, he said Filipinos should reconsider plans to travel to these countries unless extremely necessary.

He urged travelers to practice proper hygiene when visiting these places such as covering their nose and mouth with a tissue, washing their hands with soap and water, using alcohol-based hand cleaners, and avoiding close contact with sick people.

The WHO has declared this new swine flu virus strain a "public health emergency of international concern" that could become a pandemic, or global outbreak of serious disease.

A pandemic would deal a major blow to a world economy already suffering its worst crisis in decades, and experts say it could cost trillions of dollars.

A 1968 "Hong Kong" flu pandemic killed about 1 million people globally.

Flu is characterized by a sudden fever, muscle aches, sore throat and dry cough. Victims of the new strain have also suffered more vomiting and diarrhea than is usual with flu.

The United States declared a public health emergency, and a top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, said she feared there would be deaths in the United States as the new strain of flu spreads.