DOH: PH still Ebola-free, no cases in QC

RESERVED. A nurse wearing a protective suit stands in front of the door of the isolation room reserved for possible Ebola cases in the country inside the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City. File photo by Ben Nabong/Rappler

MANILA, Philippines – The health department on Thursday, November 6, denied a report circulating on social media about alleged Ebola cases in Quezon City.

"There is NO TRUTH to this report. NO CASE of Ebola has entered the Philippines. The website where the online report was published...is a HOAX," the Department of Health (DOH) said in a statement.

The viral article was attributed to a Gemma Sheridan, supposedly from the DOH, but the department said they do not have an employee with said name.

"We appeal to the public not to spread unconfirmed and baseless reports. Sowing panic and fear will only put lives in danger," the statement read. (READ: 5 misconceptions about Ebola)

In May, President Benigno Aquino III created an inter-agency task force that will manage Ebola and other emerging infectious diseases in the country. (READ: Ona: Philippines ready for Ebola)

The World Health Organization (WHO) earlier commended the Philippines' preparations for Ebola as "systematic and meticulous."

In October, the Senate began public hearings on these preparations, and it was satisfied and impressed by what has been done so far.

The Ebola virus, which can be transmitted through bodily fluids, causes severe fever, muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, and diarrhea. In some cases, it also causes organ failure, unstoppable bleeding, and can kill victims in just days.

As of October 31, WHO said the 2014 Ebola outbreak has already killed 4,818 out of 13,042 cases, mostly in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. (READ: WHO reduces Ebola death toll to 4,818) – Rappler.com