Stubborn Homecoming of Manny Pacquiao and Company Puts Filipinos at Risk

"Better safe than sorry."

"A pound of prevention is greater than an ounce of cure."

These are in essence what the Department and Health (DOH) and World Health Organization (WHO) are telling the country when they advice Manny Pacquiao to postpone his triumphal return to Manila after his victory over Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas, Nevada. Still, Manny Pacquiao returns to the Philippines today, offering only to go into voluntary quarantine at his home in General Santos City.

It appears, some people can’t be dissuaded until something horrible happens. Many argue that if the Philippines need the proactive control against the H1N1 virus, it must be at this stage when no confirmed case has yet reached the country. But there are government leaders who don't believe so. Health officials say that the logistics of tackling a potential epidemic is hard and as a nation, Filipinos must cooperate.

While it is believed that the risk of Pacquiao and the 50 congressmen who watched the boxing match in United States catching H1N1 virus is small, it’s there nonetheless. There are more than 30 US states affected by the swine flu. No one can quantify the exact chance that those who traveled in these places will bring the virus into the country.

And no one is sure how the Philippines will cope if the disease takes root among its citizens.

Viruses are very tricky and we must respect them as they are. Health authorities are still on the process of learning about H1N1 flu which has the potential to cause widespread illness, overtax the ability of the health care workers to respond, dampen business, and cause economic hardship.

It’s the duty of the Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to inform Filipinos of the dangers of the swine infection. But it is the Filipino citizens' responsibility to take the needed precautions. This is not the time to joke around. The threat of the swine infection must be treated as a health issue and not as a political matter.

Being a pathologist, I believe keeping Pacquiao, his entourage, and the 50 congressmen out of the country for just a few more days for the viral incubation period to elapse is the best. Health and government authorities must not compromise. They have the power to impose mandatory isolation on these possible carriers to safeguard the health the population. So far the DOH looks after least 3 people in the country who may harbor the disease.

In the excitement of having Manny come home so the national celebration can go on, Filipinos must understand that erring on the side of caution has strong merits. Diseases don’t discriminate whether someone is a hot-shot victorious boxer or an influential congressman who can afford a ringside ticket in Las Vegas. Contagion is something that everyone must take seriously.