Filipino overseas workers who will be taking their vacations in the Philippines are urged to take the preventive measures against A(H1N1) infection.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) advised OFWS who will be vacationing in the Philippines to wear protective gears like a face mask and to go on self quarantine.

“Yong pananawagan ng POEA ay actually nakatuon sa kanila, naka-direct sa mga Balik Manggagawa because these are the people who have come from other countries na baka mayroon mga incidents doon and they might have been affected or baka na-carry nila 'yong virus from their job sites or from the countries where they're working so that's why we want [them] to take the extra precaution,” said POEA Administrator Jennifer Manalili.

Manalili explained that the order is in line with the health department’s directive to monitor OFWs who are temporarily taking time off from work and who will be processed by the POEA's Balik Manggagawa counter before returning abroad.

POEA's advise came after a Filipina nurse tested positive for A(H1N1) virus upon resuming work at a hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Filipina was processed by the POEA's Balik Manggagawa counter on May 25th. She left the Philippines on May 29th and developed A(H1N1) symptoms a day later.

Manalili said OFWs need to comply with the directive before they can be issued with an Overseas Employment Contract or OEC which exempts them from travel tax and which they need to be able to continue their work abroad.

Under the new directive, OFWs can only apply for their OEC 10 days after arriving or after going through the prescribed self-quarantine period.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said, the number of cases reported by 74 countries reached more than 27,000 including at least 140 deaths.

The WHO also reported that the Philippines now has the highest number of A(H1N1) cases in Southeast Asia.

Many of the new Philippine cases are students who had a history of travel to countries with confirmed A(H1N1) infections. Report from Joey Villarama for Balitang Australia