The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday said there have been no local reports yet on the bacterial infection that reportedly sent Mexican actor Manuel Masalva to the hospital.
Best known for his role in Netflix's Narcos: Mexico, Masalva is in critical condition after contracting a dangerous bacterial infection following his recent trip to the Philippines.
"Ang unang ginawa namin, nagpatanong kami. Locally kasi walang report na pumapasok. So, wala kaming hawak na data locally kung ano yung nangyari (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, nagtanong na kami doon sa dalawang bansa na pwedeng pagkuhanan ng impormasyon (But officially, we have already asked the two countries where we can get information)," Domingo added.
The health official said DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa has directed the agency to contact the International Health Regulations (IHR) system of Dubai and Mexico.
Domingo noted that Masalva could have contracted food poisoning or swum 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," he continued.
He added that the Health Department has not received reports of a similar case "so far."
The 34-year-old actor is currently in a medically induced coma at a hospital in Dubai after contracting an aggressive bacterial infection.
Masalva arrived in Dubai on March 18 from the Philippines. After two days, he felt internal discomfort and pain. He underwent emergency surgery on March 26 after doctors discovered the bacteria, and by the following day, the infection had reached his lungs, prompting the medically induced coma.