Pinoy killed by Middle East respiratory virus - DFA

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Monday that a Filipino in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has died of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus or MERS-CoV.

Assistant Sec. Charles Jose, the DFA spokesperson, said a team dispatched by the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi confirmed the Filipino MERS-CoV fatality in Al Ain, the fourth largest city in the UAE.

The DFA official said the Filipino MERS-CoV victim died on April 10. His or her name is being withheld upon the request of the family, according to Jose.

He added that the Philippine embassy team also confirmed reports that five other Filipinos in the same city were placed in quarantine as a precautionary measure.

Jose said the five Filipinos are recovering and doing well.

According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, MERS-CoV was first reported in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. The coronavirus causes the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), a viral respiratory illness.

The CDC said most people who got infected with MERS-CoV developed severe acute respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath.

"About half of them died. Some people were reported as having a mild respiratory illness," the CDC said in its website.

The institution said MERS-CoV has been shown to spread between people who are in close contact.

Thought it is still not certain where the virus came from, the CDC said it likely came from an animal source.