Pacquiao asked to defer return over H1N1 scare

MANILA, Philippines – Expressing alarm over the latest developments in the A(H1N1) virus infections in other countries, the Health Department on Wednesday said it would advise the camp of Manny Pacquiao to postpone the scheduled trip back to the Philippines this coming Friday. “Our recommendation is to first get in touch with Manny Pacquiao and his entourage through whatever means possible and to postpone their arrival from Friday to Tuesday," Health Sec. Francisco Duque III said in a press conference. Pacquiao is expected to be in the Philippines Friday from Los Angeles, California, after defeating last Sunday British slugger Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas, where confirmed cases of the Influenza A(H1N1) virus were reported. Duque said the recommendation was based on reports he received from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicating that there could be a “third generation human-to-human transmission" of the virus in Los Angeles. Under such mode of transmission, an infected person from Mexico – the virus outbreak’s epicenter – passed on the germ to someone from Los Angeles, who in turn transmitted the virus to another. A third generation human-to-human transmission would indicate a serious health threat, Duque said. Duque stressed he is expecting that Team Pacquiao, whom he advised to impose “self-quarantine," would comply with DOH’s advice. “What we’re going to do is to convince them in the best way possible. I don’t want to imagine na hindi sila papayag [that they won’t agree]" the Health secretary said. Risking the possible frustration of Pacquiao’s fans, Duque likewise discouraged the holding of the prepared motorcade for the People’s Champ on Friday for safety reasons. Earlier, Duque said that five people – two Filipinos and three foreigners –were being tested for swine-flu virus infection. He said the Filipinos had come from Ireland and the United States. The foreigners being tested are a woman from the United Kingdom and an adult male and a 9-year-old boy from South Korea. All the countries mentioned have confirmed cases of H1N1 virus infections. The Korean patients are undergoing observation at the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine office in Manila, while the British and the Filipinos are all quarantined at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu in Central Visayas region. The virus has so far claimed 26 lives in Mexico and one in the US, and has sickened thousands across the world. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV