DOH ASKED TO STEP UP INFO CAMPAIGN ON NEW VIRUS

SENATOR Francis “TOL” Tolentino today asked the Department of Health (DOH) to take all the necessary steps to inform and update the public about the Human Metapneumovirus or HMPV.

Tolentino issued the appeal amid growing concerns about the virus and how it spreads.

Interviewed on the radio show “SOS” on DZRH which is co-hosted by Tolentino, Department of Health (DOH) Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo dismissed as “fake news” social media posts about an outbreak of HMPV in China,

But Tolentino said that pending an official statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) to clarify the reported HMPV outbreak, it would be prudent for the DOH to think ahead by stepping up its public information campaign and also consider mapping out precautionary measures against any possible outbreak in the country.

“It is important that our people get their information from the DOH and medical experts, rather than social media posts based on unreliable sources,” said Tolentino, who authored a book, the “Pandemic Handbook for Local Governments” in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The DOH must always be a step ahead in matters concerning public health in order to prevent the spread of wrong information, which sometimes can be as dangerous as a disease outbreak itself,” he added.