DAVAO CITY – The City Health Office (CHO) here extended medical assistance to 174 Filipino fishermen in Indonesia who were detained for alleged illegal fishing.
The 174 Filipino fishermen who arrived in Davao City last Saturday, September 3 from Bitong, Indonesia were evaluated by the CHO team with non-contact thermometer to check if they have fever which is a symptom of transmittable diseases and virus.
Aside from the CHO, a team from the Department of Health (DOH) also conducted blood smear examinations.
Dr. Josephine Villafuerte, CHO head, said that the medical evaluations conducted were primarily for malaria and dengue.
Villafuerte said that no one is suffering from any infection.
She said most of the fishermen have bruises, boils, fever and cough, which they probably acquired while they were in detention, aggravated by the three-day sea voyage.
The 174 fishermen are mostly from General Santos City and Saranggani. Others are from Bayugan in Agusan del Norte, Negros Occidental, and Iloilo.(davaotoday.com)
