“To rule out the possibility that they may have been similarly exposed to the MCV, the DOH is directing all those who traveled with this worker on Etihad Flight Number EY 0424 that arrived at the NAIA on 15 April, to call up DOH,” the department said in a press statement.
The DOH is now conducting an intensive search for people who may have had possible contact with the male nurse.
Passengers may call the DOH through telephone numbers 711-1001; 711-1002; 0922-884-1564; 0920-949-8419; 0915-772-5621.
Following the death of a Malaysian national on April 13, who went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, DOH spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag said Filipinos who traveled to Mecca for umrah should also report any illness when they return to the Philippines.
The Malaysian national is said to be the first MERS-related death in Asia and outside the Middle East.
A report by The Star said the man developed respiratory complications after returning from Mecca.
First reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, MERS is a novel virus often referred to as the Middle East version of the severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS. Signs of MERS may constitute fever, cough, shortness of breath, and diarrhea.
At present, the World Health Organization “does not advise special screening at points of entry with regard to this event nor does it currently recommend the application of any travel or trade restrictions.”
Tracing other passengers
The DOH has been conducting “intensive contact tracing” of the 12 passengers seated near the Filipino nurse who contracted the disease.
“It will certainly depend on the seat arrangement if he is in the middle we have to trace those in the front or back. At the same time, we will check other people na nagkaroon ng possible contact,” Dr. Emmanuel Labella, director of the Bureau of Quarantine said Wednesday.
The Filipino nurse returned to the country from United Arab Emirates on Tuesday afternoon. He was the first reported case of MERS in the Philippines.
He was with his wife, two children and a helper when they took Etihad EY 0424 back to the Philippines. All of them were quarantined, including five others who fetched them from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, as they were possibly exposed to the MERS virus.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona earlier said the nurse was exposed to a Filipino paramedic who died from MERS last week in the UAE. The male nurse was tested while he was still in the UAE and the positive results came out when he arrived in the Philippines.
The Filipino nurse was on his way to his hometown from NAIA when the DOH was able to track him down and asked him and his family and the people who fetched them to report to the nearest hospital.
The nurse and his group were tested for MERS, and the results of the laboratory tests will be released on Friday, April 18.
The male nurse is now confined at the hospital while his companions are under observation by doctors.
Disease-related risks
The DOH said the male nurse understood the risks related to the disease and has been cooperative with the department.
The health department has been sending out an advice to Filipinos abroad who may have contracted a respiratory illness to see their healthcare provider and talk to them about their recent their travels and exposure to other people.
The Bureau of Quarantine, on the other hand, has strengthened the monitoring of incoming passengers in ports and airports.
The DOH also reminded the public to observe proper cough manners, such as covering the mouth, and frequent handwashing.
Meanwhile, the Health Department sent an epidemiology expert and an infectious disease specialist to the UAE to assist overseas Filipinos following the report of a Filipino paramedic who supposedly died of MERS on April 11. Five other Filipinos were found positive of the virus but they are now doing well and seemed to be on the way to recovery. – VS, GMA News
