Thai hajj pilgrim shows MERS symptoms
A 62-year-old man in Yala’s Betong district, who had just returned from the annual hajj in Saudi Arabia on October 4, had symptoms resembling those of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Betong Health official Wongwit Akarawarothai said the man’s illness could also stem from inhaling smog that currently shrouds the region.
Thai officials were already watching out for MERS-CoV among Thais returning from the Haj in this period. They will examine this man for MERS-CoV and monitor him for another 14 days.
On Tuesday, a 59-year-old woman in Muang Yala back from the hajj was taken to a disease screening clinic to test for MERS-CoV and the result is pending.
Thailand had a confirmed MERS-CoV case earlier this year but it was promptly contained and the 75-year-old foreigner recovered and went home. No more infections have been reported since.
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