Republic of the Philippines Department of Health OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY DEC Ot 2023 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER No. 2021 - 0056-_A SUBJECT: Amendment to Administrative Order (AO) No. 2021-0056 entitled. “Revised Implementing Rules _and_Regulations_of_the Code_on Sanitation of the Philippines (PD 856) Chapter XX1 Di id Persons” ‘The disposal of human remains involves careful handling and management of deceased individuals, encompassing various stages from preparation to final disposition. While exposure to human remains generally poses no significant health risks, concems arise in cases of fatalities due to infectious diseases. To mitigate these risks, standard precautions and special guidelines are in place for handling potentially infectious cases. The Philippines’ Presidential Decree No. $56 outlines the general requirements for the disposal of deceased individuals, while ‘Administrative Order No. 2021-0056 elaborates these requirements and updates sanitation ‘standards. Recent developments necessitate revisions to the AO No. 2021-0056 to reclassify certain diseases, like COVID-19, HIV-AIDS, and the recent outbreaks of Henipavirus infection. The evidence indicates a decreased risk of transmission with COVID-19-related deaths and suggests adherence to infection prevention and control precautions when handling human remains. Furthermore, while HIV and AIDS can potentially survive in cadaver tissue, the law expressly prohibits denying embalming and burial services for individuals with HIV and AIDS. Considering these changes and ongoing research, the Department of Health (DOH) is hereby amending AO No. 2021-0056 to align with recent developments, legal mandates, and scientific evidence, as permitted under the Code on Sanitation. I. Specific Guidelines To add as provision under B. Burial Requirements, 8. Death due to Dangerous Communicable Disease, the following: “f. The DOH shall regularly update the list of dangerous communicable diseases for the purpose of the Code considering the rapidly evolving nature of communicable diseases especially emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. Further listing and delisting of dangerous communicable diseases shall be issued by the Department of Health through a Department Circular.” Il. Annex 7.2 Categorization of dangerous communicable diseases In light of recent developments on COVID-19, the passage of Republic Act (RA) No. 11166, “Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act” and the threat of henipavirus, COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS shall be excluded from the list of dangerous communicable diseases, while henipavirus shall be included to the list under Category 2. Moreover, considering the rapidly evolving nature of communicable diseases, the DOH shall regularly update ‘Building I, San Lazaro Compound, Rial Avenne, Ss. Gram 1005 Manila « Trask Line 681-7800 foal 1108 TT, T1TE, 1173 Diret Line: 711-9502, 71-9508 Fax: 743-1829 « URL: hup:/iwww-doh gov; e-mail dbase ovthe list of dangerous communicable diseases for the purpose of the Code. Hence, Annex 7, Section A.7.2 is hereby amended to read as follows: “A7.2. Categorization of dangerous communicable diseases ‘a. Category 1: Signified by a YELLOW label tag in the body of a dead person i, Viral Hepatitis except Hepatitis A Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) without necropsy Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) iv. Avian influenza v. Invasive Group A Streptococcal infections vi. Cholera b. Category 2: Signified by a RED label (Sample attached) i Anthrax ii, Plague iii, Rabies iv. Viral hemorrhagic fevers ¥. Ebola hemorrhagic fever (African hemorrhagic fever) i, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CID) with necropsy vii, Meningococcemia viii. Henipavirus infection” II. Annex 7.6. Undertaking, embalming, and cremation of the remains who died with HIV and AIDS Pursuant to RA No. 11166 and its implementing rules and regulations, Annex 7, Section A.7.6 is hereby amended as follows: Undertaking, embalming, cremation and burial services of the remains of a deceased person who had HIV and AIDS or who was known, suspected, or perceived to be HIV-positive shall be allowed and shall follow standard operating procedures and protocols. Likewise, denial of embalming and burial services for a deceased person who had HIV and AIDS or who was known, suspected, or perceived to be HIV-positive shall be prohibited with corresponding penalties under RA No. 11166 and its implementing rules and regulations. Jn the event that the deceased person who had HIV and AIDS or who was known, suspected, or perceived to be HIV-positive is also diagnosed with other dangerous communicable diseases, prescribed sanitation requirements on the handling and disposal of dead persons due to the dangerous communicable disease shall be followed. AAs thus amended, all other provisions stipulated in AO 2021-0056 dated November 23, 2021 not affected by this Order shall remain in effect. This Order shall take effect after fifteen (15) days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation with three (3) certified copies to be filed with the Office of the National Administrative Register (ONAR) of the UP Law Center, Digitally signed (Bae byHerbosa Teodoro Javier TEODORO J. HERBOSA, Secretary of Health,