The Department of Health (DoH) said Wednesday it has not received any local reports of the bacterial infection that has reportedly hospitalized Mexican actor Manuel Masalva.
Masalva, known for his role in Netflix’s “Narcos: Mexico,” is reportedly in critical condition in a Dubai hospital after contracting a dangerous bacterial infection following a recent trip to the Philippines, according to his publicist.
“The first thing we did was ask questions. Locally, there were no reports coming in. So, we don’t have any data locally on what happened,” DoH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said in a radio interview.
“But officially, we have already asked the two countries where we can get information,” Domingo added, referring to Dubai and Mexico.
The health official said DoH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa has directed the agency to contact the International Health Regulations (IHR) system of Dubai and Mexico for information.
Domingo speculated that Masalva might have contracted food poisoning or possibly swam in the ocean with an open wound.
“We are not discounting the fact that the celebrity contracted a disease, and according to his publicist, he got it from the Philippines. But I hope they say which particular bacteria that is and where he got it so we can act on it,” Domingo said.
He added that the Health department has not received reports of similar cases “so far.”
Reports said that the 34-year-old actor arrived in Dubai on 18 March from the Philippines and two days later, he experienced internal discomfort and pain.
He underwent emergency surgery on 26 March after doctors discovered the bacteria, and by the following day, the infection had spread to his lungs, leading to a medically induced coma.