Vials with blood specimen washed Subic Bay ashore

At least 65 vials of blood specimen were washed Subic Bay ashore on Saturday, stirring fear among residents in nearby communities.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chair Wilma Eisma said in a statement that a tourist found the vials inside a plastic container.

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Eisma said these vials could be hospital waste that washed ashore. She also said she had instructed the SBMA Law Enforcement Department (LED) to collect and turn over the vials to the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department (PHSD) for proper handling and disposal.

“The SBMA-PHSD will also work with the Department of Health to determine where these blood vials came from,” Eisma said.

Also read: DOH confirms 4th,5th coronavirus cases in PH

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Vials with blood specimen washed Subic Bay ashore

Subic Bay is an extension of the South China Sea. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay, which is now the location of an industrial and commercial area known as the Subic Bay Freeport Zone under the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

There are many different bloodborne pathogens, including malaria, syphilis, and brucellosis, and most notably, Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV) and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Bloodborne pathogens are microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria that are carried in the blood and can cause disease in people.

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