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(THE PHILIPPINE STAR) The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) alerted yesterday all airport operators and authorities to take the necessary precautions against the Zika virus, which has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).
A bulletin issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) prompted the CAAP to issue a memorandum notifying airport authorities, airline companies and medical personnel about the mosquito-borne disease.
CAAP director general William Hotchkiss III ordered officers of the Bureau of Quarantine at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to implement safety measures in preventing the spread of the virus.
Hotchkiss said airline firms should undertake measures, including disinfecting aircraft against mosquitoes.
“The ICAO is collaborating with the WHO to ensure the aviation sector plays a supporting role in minimizing the risk of spreading the disease internationally and of travelers becoming infected, especially women who may be pregnant,” he said.
Airport authorities were required to implement programs to control vectors in areas where passengers converge and where cargo is stored.
Quarantine personnel were reminded to be on alert for arriving passengers from Zika-affected countries.
The WHO has declared Zika an international health concern after it spread to over 30 countries, with evidence of local transmission in six other countries.
Zika is transmitted by the dengue-transmitting Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is found in tropical countries such as the Philippines.
The disease is suspected of causing birth defects such as microcephaly among infants in Brazil.
Last week, the United States said enhanced public health entry screening for Zika would not be effective since most people infected with the virus are asymptomatic so they could not be identified during the screening process.
