SOME 56 people who came into contact with the 32-year-old nurse from Saudi Arabia suffering from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) tested negative for the disease in the first round of tests using nose and throat swabs, the Health Department said Friday.
about the Filipino nurse who tested positive for the Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome. With her are WHO country representative
Julie Hall and Mayor Lourdes Cataquis of San Pedro, Laguna. Lino Santos
In a press briefing, acting Health Secretary Janette Garin said there was no reason to believe the disease, which killed hundreds in the Middle East, would spread quickly in the Philippines. “While MERS-CoV has a mortality rate of 30 percent, human-to-human transmission is not that easy. Hence, there is no reason to panic,” she said.
Garin said the 56 who came into contact with the nurse were admitted at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Alabang City on Feb. 10 for close monitoring.
Eleven of the symptomatic patients will undergo a second round of tests using sputum and rectal swab samples. Garin said 92 of the patient’s fellow passengers on board Saudia 860 have been located and have agreed to be tested for the virus. “We call on the remaining passengers to contact the DOH hotline (02)7111001 or (02)7111002, and our health personnel will go to you,” Garin said.
Garin also assured the public that all ports of entry were being watched closely and urged travelers to properly and honestly fill up the health declaration checklist upon arriving in the country to prevent the entry of infectious diseases such as MERS-Cov. The symptoms of MERS-CoV are fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing . Some may present with gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea and some with kidney failure. The Health Department on Wednesday confirmed that the female nurse at the RITM tested positive for the virus but is in stable condition. Garin was accompanied in the press briefing by Mayor Lourdes Cataquiz of San Pedro City, Laguna; Dr. Cecilia Evangelista, owner of a private hospital in the city where the 32-year-old nurse first sought treatment; and Dr. Julie Hall of the World Health Organization (WHO). The nurse, who arrived from Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1, was first admitted to the Evangelista Medical Specialty Center in San Pedro on Feb. 2 after complaining of fever, cough and breathing difficulty. She was later transferred to the RITM after her condition did not improve. Further tests confirmed that she had MERS-CoV. Garin said the patient, who is four to five weeks pregnant, is being closely monitored.
In the same briefing, the mayor said she was saddened that residents began panicking as a result of Classes were disrupted after some parents refused to send their children to school upon seeing tricycle drivers wearing surgical masks.
Cataquiz, however, said there was no truth to reports that the school, Pacita Elementary School, had closed down. Evangelista, on the other hand, assured the public that they are following the protocols on the disinfection needed for the hospital and expressed willingness to another round of disinfectionin compliance with the DOH and WHO requirements. “Although we have conducted disinfection in the hospital, the management has decided to voluntary submit the hospital for disinfection this time by DOH and WHO to allay the fears of everyone,” Evangelista said. With PNA
