Column

Scientific solutions

With the emergence of new viruses and diseases in the present times, it is high time for the country to establish its own virology institute to aid leading agencies such as the Department of Health and Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Diseases in the prevention and management of viral diseases. The consequences brought about by viral pandemics to the country’s population and economies are insurmountable. In fact, according to the data from World Bank, the estimated economic loss is at least 80 billion US dollars from six major outbreaks of highly fatal infections between 1997 and 2009 around the globe. Given this, the importance of scientific research gives the country an advantage to develop mechanisms in tracking, investigating, and diagnosing emerging viral diseases.

On May 22 last year, the Department of Science and Technology publicly expressed its intention to establish the Virology Institute of the Philippines. Efforts to institutionalize the move have now reached the House of Representatives where current Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said on Friday, July 23, two measures seeking to establish the Philippine Virology Institute are being prioritized.

The said institution will serve as “the premier research and development institution in the field of virology, encompassing all areas in viruses and viral diseases in humans, plants, and animals.” 

To augment its efforts, the Philippine Center for Disease Control will also be established to serve as “country’s principal health protection agency tasked to prevent, protect, and manage the spread of diseases and other health threats originating domestically and internationally.” 

Given the existing mechanisms and primed legislations, why should the Philippines invest on virology research and development?

The country is an entry point of people and goods. It is known that the Philippines is located at the heart of Asia and remains to be one of the fastest growing nations. According to the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippines is placed at the crossroads of eastern and western business, making it a critical entry point to over 500 million people in the ASEAN market and a gateway of international shipping and air lanes suited for European and American businesses. Given this open access to the country, it has become a vulnerable site for viral diseases such as COVID-19, Ebola, H1N1, among others.

The country is agricultural. Viral diseases of livestock can adversely affect the country’s animal and agronomic health and food supplies. During the first African swine fever outbreak in 2019, the country had lost a total of 1 billion in trade loss.

In July 2020, a highly infectious H5N6 subtype of the influenza A virus was reported in Pampanga, forcing a poultry farm to slaughter nearly 39,000 chickens to curb the bird flu outbreak. In 2017, the aquaculture sector was also affected when the tilapia lake virus killed at least 101,383 tilapia fishes in Bulacan alone.

If there was an active virology research and development center before, the aforementioned diseases could have been prevented and managed efficiently without causing excessive toll on our healthcare systems. It could’ve also saved more lives and livelihoods especially those whose capital and resources are limited such as farmers, fisherfolks, and workers in the informal sector.