Initial batch of Etihad passengers tested negative for MERS-CoV

Passengers walk past a thermal scanner at the medical quarantine area at the arrival section of Manila’s International Airport in Paranaque, south of Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, April 16, 2014. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health on Monday announced that the initial batch of passengers of Etihad Airlines flight EY 0424 tested negative for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome – Corona Virus (MERS-CoV).

“Sa mga lumabas na resulta na nakuha natin, lahat naman ay negatibo pa,” Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, DOH’s program manager for national disease prevention and control, told Inquirer Radio 990AM.

(Of the results that came out, everyone tested negative.)

Malacañang confirmed that 173 have been contacted out of 414 passengers of the said flight that arrived in the Philippines last April 15. So far, 100 of them tested negative for the virus, while 73 are still waiting for their test results.

The announcement came days after the agency re-examined a male Filipino nurse who tested positive for the virus in the United Arab Emirates.

The nurse, who did not show symptoms of the illness, was already on the said Etihad flight when his test results came out in UAE, where a Filipino paramedic died because of the MERS-CoV.

Suy said the nurse underwent the test twice in the Philippines to make sure that he was no longer a carrier of the virus. He said it was possible that the nurse was initially exposed to the virus but recovered on his way home.

Call to passengers

“Not until na-examine natin lahat ng nakasakay doon sa Etihad EY 424…then we can safely say na as of the moment wala tayong MERS Corona Virus. Kaya pinaiigting natin ang kampanya natin na hanapin po ang iba pang pasahero,” Suy said.

(Not until we examined all the passengers of Etihad EY 424 can we safely say that as of the moment the country has no incidence of MERS Corona Virus. That is why we are intensifying our campaign to find the other passengers.)

Over the weekend, both the DOH and Malacañang sent advisories, urging the passengers to contact authorities (through DOH’s 24-hour hotlines: 711-1001; 711-1002; 0922-884-1564; 0920-949-8419; at 0915-772-5621) and undergo testing.

While the DOH is already coordinating with Etihad, some of the numbers in the passengers list were out of service.

“To be honest, merong mga pasahero na may resistance. Pinaliwanagan namin na ito ay hindi lang para sa inyo kundi para sa pamilya ninyo,” Suy explained.

(To be honest, there are also passengers who are resistant. But we explain that it must be done not just for them but for their families.)

He said the test is free and the nose and throat swab can be done at a nearby government hospital or DOH personnel can visit the passenger’s residence.

The DOH has already published the list of passengers yet to be contacted and tested for MERS-CoV.

Although a Filipino paramedic had already died of the virus earlier this month in UAE, the spread of MERS-CoV is not yet considered an epidemic.

The MERS-CoV is a deadly virus related to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Its symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath and diarrhea.

According to the World Health Organization, from September 2012 to April 17, 2014, there were 243 confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection all over the world, 93 of which have resulted in death.

Malaysia, on Wednesday, reported the first death attributed to MERS-CoV in Asia. The victim recently went on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, media reports said.

LIST OF PASSENGERS YET TO BE CONTACTED BY DOH AS OF APRIL 21, 2014

(Please call DOH’s 24-hour hotlines: 711-1001; 711-1002; 0922-884-1564; 0920-949-8419; at 0915-772-5621)

1. ABBAS, ESMAIL
2. ABELLANA, CHRISTOPHER
3. ABUTOG, CHRISTIAN JOHN
4. ABUTOG, MELOGINA
5. ACOSTA, OSCAR ANGEL CABAUATAN
6. ADALIN, DEDICACION
7. ADAP, CLARENCE
8. AGPAOA, VERLE
9. AGUSTIN, JOJIT
10. AKPAKPAN, KUFRE JAMES
11. ALBERTO, EDWIN
12. ALBINO, MARITON GAY
13. ALFANTE, FEDINAND LUI
14. ALQUITRAN, CAITLYN ANN
15. ALQUITRAN, CHERRYLANNE NOLASCO
16. ALQUITRAN, ARMINDA NOLASCO
17. ALQUITRAN, CYRIL PEROCHO
18. ALVAREZ, DENNIS
19. AQUINO, ALJESS
20. ASTILLERO, MICHAELA JANINA
21. ATIENZA, RENATO
22. AUSTERO, JIMMY
23. BABLES, LINA
24. BALLARAN, JERELYN CHAVEZ
25. BALLOGAN, JOCELYN
26. BALTAZAR, EDWARD
27. BAMBAO, SHARON
28. BANDOY, ERLINDA
29. BARBERO, ROBERTO
30. BARRETTO, ARNOLD
31. BARTOLO, LIEZEL
32. BEA, MAY JOY
33. BEHZAD BEHBEHANI, BRUNO
34. BELLO, OSCAR
35. BELMONTE, WILFREDO
36. BERNARDINO, MARLON
37. BOSE, ELENA
38. BRITOS, BERNARDO
39. BUCAYU, TELESFORO JR
40. BUSTOS, ARNEL
41. CABANTO, RODRIGO
42. CABRAL, CARMINA
43. CABRAL, CARLO LOUIS
44. CADUNGOG, JOMARI
45. CALANOC, MAUREEN
46. CANELA, EDUARDO
47. CANLAS, JOSE DANDI
48. CARAYUMAN, MIGUEL
49. CASTIGADOR, VICTORINA
50. CATALAN, ALLAIN
51. CHIARPOTTO, ELENA MARIA
52. CLAVERIA, RAINERIO ILUMINADO
53. CO, MARK ANTHONY
54. COLANO, NURAYNA
55. COLICO, JOSEL
56. COLIS, SHIRLEY
57. COLIS, CECILIA
58. CORDANO, SAMUEL
59. CORONEL, JUSTIN LOUIS
60. DAMANDAMAN MA, JONA
61. DAMANDAMAN, JOHN TRISTAN
62. DANGOY, PETRONILO JR G
63. DANTULURI, APPALA SATYANARAYANA VARMA
64. DAYAPAN, ROMMEL PERMALINO
65. DAYRIT, DIANAH A
66. DE GUZMAN, RANDIE
67. DE LEON, SHIELA
68. DEL RIO, VERONICA
69. DELA CRUZ, JAN MILEYA E
70. DELA CRUZ, MICHAEL
71. DERONZIER, PAULINE ANNA
72. DIONISIO, JINKY
73. DIVINA, VICTORIA
74. DIVINO, LUCIANO JR
75. DIZON, AUGUSTO
76. DOLOR, LEO
77. DOMINGO, JOSEPH
78. DOMOSOYLO, DIANE GRACE SAN JUAN
79. DONOS, ARLENE ORIO
80. ESGUERRA, JAYPEE
81. ESMINO, PANCHO JR
82. ESTEBAN, PETER HIPOLITO
83. ESTRANERO, DIANA SANGCAP
84. FABRE, VINCENT
85. FIGUEROA, ELIZABETH
86. FLORENTINO, LITO
87. FLORES, MEJHOR ERNESTO JR
88. FORTALEZA, ZARAH
89. FORTUNATO, JENIFFER
90. FUGABAN, MENCHIE
91. FURTO, EMELITO
92. GABOTERO, SUE
93. GACUSANA, RUBEN
94. GADAINGAN, JOMEL
95. GALANTO, EUGENE
96. GALAPIA, RUBY JANE
97. GARCIA, PRISCILA
98. GARCIA, ZSAREHN
99. GARCIA, NICO JAY
100. GATHURI, PENINA NABWIRE
101. GIPAN, RUTH
102. GUECO, MARIA TERESA D
103. HALILI, MONICA
104. HERNANDEZ, EDWARD
105. HERNANDEZ, MARK DENNIS
106. HONG, YUNHUI
107. HUTCHINSON, NATHAN SAMUEL
108. HUTCHINSON, ALMA
109. IGNACIO, GLORIA
110. ILETO, RENIEL
111. IOANNOU, GEORGIOS
112. IOANNOU, CHRISTAKIS
113. JAVAR, VILMA
114. JAVIEN, RESURRECCION
115. KANG, HYONDOK
116. KHALIL, ALFRED
117. KING, RAFAEL
118. KOURSARIS, COSTAS
119. LAGNASON, CYRUS CASTRO
120. LAW, JEFFREY
121. LECTOR, JOSE ERIBERTO
122. LICO, MARETES
123. LINNOM, ROLYNE
124. LLANES, ARCEO POSE
125. LLANES, CHRISTIAN ALMERO
126. LUNGAY, FLORDELIZA
127. MABUTAS, MARCELINO JR
128. MACARAIG, MICHELLE
129. MACARAIG, CHELSEA MADELLE
130. MACAVINTA, JO ANNA
131. MADALE, ELIAS
132. MAGPANTAY, LAWRENCE JAY PENTINIO
133. MAGPANTAY, LUCENA PENTINIO
134. MAGPANTAY, JERRY
135. MAMARIL, DANILO GAPUZAN
136. MANALASTAS, ROLANDO
137. MANALO, NOMER
138. MANGABO, MANRIA GRACE
139. MANSIT, CAROL
140. MARZAN, RODRIGO
141. MATIAS, MYRA
142. MATIAS, DANIEL CHRISTIAN
143. MATIC, MELINDA
144. MEDINA, EDGARDO
145. MELANO, FERNANDO
146. MENDOZA, CASIANO
147. MERCURIO, ESTRELLA
148. MESSIONA, MA LUZ BERBAL
149. NAIG, FROILAN
150. NAVARRO, AIZA
151. NGO, KHE HUY WEI
152. NORONA, NORBERTO
153. NOTARTE, LEONARDO
154. PABLO, ALEXANDER
155. PAGALA, CRISELDA
156. PAGTAKHAN, MARIA CELESTINA
157. PAJARILLO, MICHELLE
158. PALENCIA, CELIA
159. PAMAN, CANDY
160. PANGAN, ALFER
161. PASCUAL, ANATOLY
162. PAZ, KARL HEIDLE
163. PAZ, KARL HEIDLE
164. PELAGIO, MARIA THEREA
165. PETRIDIS, ANDREAS
166. PETRIDIS, ABEGAIL JIMENEZ
167. PETRIDOU, NATALIA
168. PILAPIL, GEMMA
169. PONDAVELA, CONCEPCION
170. RAMIREZ, CANDIDO JR
171. RCHAVEZ, ANN MARIE
172. REMINAJES, REMY
173. REOLIGIO, MERLY
174. REPE, CAROL
175. RIVERA, AILEEN
176. ROBANTE, MYLENE
177. RONDINA, ANTONIO JR
178. ROSARIO, ROBERTO JR
179. ROSARIO, JONA
180. SAGUN, GRACE ANN
181. SALDO, TESSIE B
182. SALSALIDA, MA ISOBELLE JOY MALAYANG
183. SAMSON, MAYRAFLOR
184. SAN RAMON, VALERIANO
185. SANCHEZ, MARYLOU
186. SANGALANG, RICHELL
187. SANTOS, ALVIN
188. SANTOS, ARMANDO
189. SARMIENTO, REYNALD
190. SCHELVIS, ADOLF WILHELMUS
191. SINAY, JASMINE
192. SINAY, WILFRED
193. SINCULAN, KRISTIAN
194. SITON, STEPHANIE GEORGETTE
195. SOLAMO, BEN
196. SOLIMAN, ROLDAN
197. SOREBILLO, NICHOLINE
198. SOROLLA, LIYSTELY A
199. SULABO, MARYJANE
200. TAN, FLORABEL
201. TANGI, LEOMARK
202. TARDIO, BRANDON
203. TAYAG, MERLITA
204. TORRES, JOAN MICHAELE NOAH
205. TORRES, EDGARDO
206. TORRES, JOAN DANIELE BERYL
207. TUICO, EDWIN
208. TUMIBAY, MARCO CYRUS
209. VALENCIA, WILFREDO
210. VALENTINO, MARICEL
211. VALIENTE, MARILOU EQUILA
212. VELASCO, JOAN
213. VELASCO, EDSEL
214. VELASCO, MARIKIT
215. VERALLO, RICARDO
216. VERANO, NORA
217. VILLAR, EDWIN JR
218. VINIEGAS, PATRICIA
219. VINIEGRA, YOLANDA
220. VIRREY, DIANNE BARBETTE
221. VITUG, EDUARDO JR
222. YAMCO, JUSTIN LOR
223. YUSUP, JERVIN

Originally posted at 10:15 am | Monday, April 21, 2014

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