Department of Health(DOH)

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October 19, 2023 Dear Ryan Cuartero, Greetings! Thank you for your request dated Sep 22, 2023 07:24:08 PM under Executive Order No. 2 (s. 2016) on Freedom of Information in the Executive Branch. Your Request You asked for Nipah Virus and cloth masks. Response to Request Your FOI request is approved. At present, there are limited studies specifically focused on Nipah Virus, particularly to the effectiveness of surgical masks, non-surgical masks, N95 masks, cloth masks, googles, acrylic glass shields, gowns, counter sneeze guards, hooded face shields used as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to prevent the transmission of the said virus. Nevertheless, standard infection control measures coupled with transmission-based precautions are effective means in mitigating virus transmission. The US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend the use of N95 or higher level protection respirators against airborne transmission of bacteria and viruses. When N95 filtering facepiece respirators are not available, surgical masks are suggested as an alternative. Further, as to date, there are no licensed treatments available for Nipah Virus (NiV) infection. Treatment is limited to supportive care, including rest, hydration, balanced nutrition and treatment of symptoms as they occur. There are, however, immunotherapeutic treatments (monoclonal antibody therapies) that are currently under development and evaluation for treatment of NiV infections. One such monoclonal antibody, m102.4, has completed phase 1 clinical trials and has been used on a compassionate use basis. In addition, the antiviral treatment remdesivir has been effective in nonhuman primates when given as post-exposure prophylaxis, and may be complementary to immunotherapeutic treatments. The drug ribavirin was used to treat a small number of patients in the initial Malaysian NiV outbreak, but its efficacy in people is unclear. Additional studies are warranted to better understand the effectiveness, safety and efficacy of these drugs. Thank you Your right to request a review If you are unhappy with this response to your FOI request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response by writing to the Central Appeals and Review Committee, at [email protected]. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made within 15 calendar days from the date when you received this letter. We will complete the review and tell you the result within 30 calendar days from the date when we receive your review request If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Office of the President under Administrative Order No. 22 (s. 2011). Thank you. Respectfully, FOI Decision Maker FOI Receiving Officer