Palace renews appeal to plane passengers to test for MERS—CoV

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang’s appeal to all passengers of  Etihad Airways flight EY 0424 last April 15 to undergo medical tests  grew louder on Sunday.

It stressed that they need to be tested for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) as precaution.

“Tinatawagan naming muli lahat ng mga pasahero, lahat ng mga nalalabing pasahero ng EY0424 na hindi pa nako-contact, na kailangan silang makipag-ugnayan ngayon sa Department of Health sa pamamagitan ng mga sumusunod na 24-hour hotline: 711-1001; 711-1002; 0922-884-1564; 0920-949-8419; at 0915-772-5621,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a Palace press briefing.

(We are calling on the passengers, the remaining passengers of EY 0424 who have not yet been contacted, they need to coordinate with the Department of Health through the following 24-hour hotlines: 711-1001; 711-1002; 0922-884-1564; 0920-949-8419; at 0915-772-5621.)

The government earlier revealed that a male nurse who tested positive for MERS-CoV arrived in the Philippines on April 15 through that flight from United Arab Emirates (UAE).

However, the nurse was already on the flight when the results came out in UAE. Authorities were able to track the group already on their way home. The nurse did not show symptoms of the disease and when he was checked by the DOH he tested negative. Nevetheless, he is believed to be a carrier of the MERS-CoV.

“Kaya bilang pag-iingat, kailangang magsagawa sa lahat ng mga naturang pasahero ng EY0424 ng simple at libreng nose and throat swab sa pinakamalapit na ospital ng Department of Health. Sa pamamagitan nito, may mabilis na paraan ng pagtiyak kung sila nga ay apektado at nangangailangan ng paggamot,” Coloma said.

(As a precaution, all passengers of EY0424 have to undergo a simple and free nose and throat swab test in any nearby hospital under the Department of Health. Through this, we will be to check if they were infected and in need of medical care.)

Coloma said it will only take them half a day for the results to come out.

He warned the passengers that people close to them may also be infected if they indeed have MERS-CoV and have yet to be treated.

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, there were 238 confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection all over the world. Of the said cases, as many as 92 people died from September 2012 to April 16, 2014,  according to reports.

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.