Center for Disease Control pushed after FLiRT variant detection

MANILA – Senator Sherwin Gatchalian pushed anew for the creation of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the Department of Health (DOH) following the detection of KP.2, one of the two so-called FLiRT variants of Covid-19, in the country.

Gatchalian is one of the co-authors of the "Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) Act (Senate Bill No. 1869),” which seeks to create the CDC.

Under the proposed measure, the CDC shall serve as the technical authority on forecasting, analysis, strategy, and standards development to prevent and control diseases and health security events.

Under the proposed measure, the CDC will have the following functions: the implementation of disease surveillance and field epidemiology activities, the establishment and strengthening of public health laboratories, the recommendation of actions for public health threats, and the building of local capacity for surveillance and health research, among others.

The CDC will be mandated to set the standards for surveillance at the country’s ports of entry. It will also coordinate with the Bureau of Quarantine for operationalization and stakeholder management.

To support the DOH’s regional offices, the center shall have regional counterparts that will maintain technical capacity for epidemiology and surveillance, health statistics, laboratory, and research. Provinces, cities, and municipalities shall adopt and localize standards and guidelines developed by the CDC.

“Naging aral sa atin noong panahon ng pandemya kung gaano kahalaga na maging handa sa panahon ng mga krisis pang-kalusugan. Kaya naman patuloy nating isinusulong ang pagtatatag ng Center for Disease Control and Prevention upang mapaigting ang ating kahandaan na tumugon sa mga krisis tulad ng pandemya at iba pang mga sakuna (The pandemic has taught us how important it is to be prepared during health crises. That is why I still push the creation of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to strengthen our readiness to respond to crises such as pandemics and other disasters),” Gatchalian said in a news release on Wednesday.

The DOH on Tuesday confirmed it had detected the first two local cases of KP.2 in the Philippines. The two FLiRT variants, including KP.3, are causing new waves of infections globally.

FLiRT is a nickname coined by some researchers to describe amino acid changes in the Covid-19 virus’ spike protein, specifically from phenylalanine (F) to leucine (L) at position 456, and from arginine (R) to threonine (T) at position 346.

The DOH, however, said it avoids using "FLiRT" to refer to the sub variants, as the term is informal and casual, and "using it might result in a miscommunication of health risk."

The DOH advised the public to practice good respiratory hygiene (covering coughs), washing hands, choosing less crowds, and ensuring good airflow and ventilation to prevent Covid-19 and other acute respiratory illnesses. (PNA)