DOH tracing 4 more Etihad passengers for MERS test

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) is now tracing the last four passengers of an Etihad Airways flight who have not undergone testing for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus.

DOH program manager for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases Lyndon Lee Suy said the Task Force MERS-coV was able to get the contact details of the four passengers.

“We now have initial data to work on like their address, unlike (the other day) when we did not have any contact information about them,” he said.

The DOH has been tracking down the 114 passengers of the flight after one of them tested positive for MERS in the United Arab Emirates.

However, subsequent tests conducted by the DOH on the male Filipino nurse yielded negative results.

Lee Suy said the Philippines remains free from MERS based on the results of the laboratory tests conducted on the passengers of the flight.

“So far we’re still negative for MERS. But this should not lead us to complacency,” he said.

He urged the public to observe proper etiquette when coughing or sneezing as well as other precautionary measures like constant hand-washing.

Meanwhile, concerned government agencies in Davao City have been urged to assist the DOH Region 11 office in monitoring MERS cases in Southern Mindanao.

Office of Civil Defense director and Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council head Loreto Rirao said they created a task force to trace possible MERS carriers.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona had earlier asked Filipinos who have returned from the Middle East to go to the nearest hospital if they experience symptoms of MERS such as fever, shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, coughing, diarrhea and kidney failure. – With Edith Regalado