Four New Cases of Ebola-Reston Virus in the Philippines

ZHANG:
Four more people in the Philippines have become infected with the Ebola-Reston virus. The government is concerned over the possibility of the virus being transmitted from pigs to humans.

STORY:
Philippine health officials say that the recent discovery of the Ebola-Reston virus in four humans is not a major health risk.

But the government is widening the testing of people who might have been in contact with sick pigs at hog farms which have been placed under quarantine since October 2008.

[Julie Hall, WHO Medical Officer]:
"There are still a lot of unanswered questions about this particular virus. We have here in the Philippines five people who have been exposed to the virus and developed anti-bodies indicating that the virus was able to enter their body. But they did not develop any significant health problems. And so they were able to defend off the virus."

This marks the first time the virus has been found outside of monkeys and the first time it has shown up in pigs.

The virus previously jumped from monkeys to humans but it is the first case of a jump from hogs.

[Francisco Duque, Philippine Health Secretary]:
"ERV (Ebola Reston Virus) is both an animal and human health issue. We maintain that this is a low-risk situation to human health provided that standard hygiene procedures in animal handling and food preparation are observed."

At least 50 workers in two farms north of Manila were exposed to the virus but only one person tested positive, but has not shown any symptoms.

Four new cases were found in people who had possible contact with sick pigs, but they too are not showing any symptoms of the virus.

News of the virus infections is making some consumers in Manila wary about buying pork.

[Flor Coranez, Housewife]:
"We might catch this virus, it might infect the children. We might end up in the hospital, that would be tough."

[Romeo Malinana, 10-Year-Old Student]:
"We don't eat pork anymore, the ebola virus might spread. My father said we should just stick to vegetables.

Luckily for the meat industry, not everyone is shunning pork. Some, like Arturo Tiston, are heeding the government's advice that pork is still safe for eating, as long as it is cooked properly.

[Arturo Tiston, Vegetable Stall Owner]:
"The virus is not deadly. If it is, I won't eat pork. But now, I still buy it."

The government has called on the public to report unusual pig deaths or
Illness, and is cautioning consumers to only buy pork from reputable sources.

And the health department is asking commercial and backyard farms to practice safe farming to prevent and contain any future outbreaks of Ebola-Reston.

Category:

News & Politics

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• Ebola-Reston
• Virus
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• pigs
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• humans
• meat
• industry
• health
• department

[TheBigStupidHead]

omg im reading that right now! its really detailed i love it

[thehantavirus]

Reston ebola does not harm humans only the other strains do.

[darthcraigous1]

The danger is transmission to Pigs to humans, like Influenza another RNA virus it could undergo genetic recombination within pigs and become more virulent, perhaps become airborne who knows. Yes Reston strains have a 0% mortality in humans but then it only takes that one mutation or recombination event to change that.

[prettyponybaby2007]

@romeoandjuliet1968 No, humans can get infected with it, but it doesnt do any harm to humans...

[osker450]

@maglight117 haha i know lol

[maglight117]

@osker450 Damn that was a whole year ago too.

[osker450]

@maglight117 Filovirus

[Mathaius833]

1:06 Both an animal AND HUMAN? Does this guy really consider himself a doctor, he thinks that humans are not animals, well news flash Mr. High School drop-out, we are animals.

[Nater245689]

@romeoandjuliet1968 No, it's the strain of ebolavirus that doesn't harm humans.

[romeoandjuliet1968]

I thought that Ebola-Reston was the strain that humans COULDN'T catch

[mxfreestyle08]

no, ebola is not a flu. the virus only mutates from liquid to blood but is not airbourne. thats the only way it can be transmitted. and yes it is a virus.