Middle East-bound OFWs told to take precautions against MERS-CoV

Workers headed to the Middle East have been advised to take precautions against the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) after the number of applicants looking for work there remain steady despite a recent scare.
 
"Napakaimportante na may depensa tayo kaagad. The way to go, really, is to improve our immune system nang sa ganon ay kung ma-expose man tayo sa mga sakit, may panlaban kaagad," Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, program manager for the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said in a report on "24 Oras" aired Thursday.
 
The Department of Health, Department of Labor and Employment, and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration have instructed recruitment agencies to brief applicants on precautions to take against MERS-CoV, the report said.

Among those precautions, according to a POEA press statement, are:
 
 
  • Practice proper hand hygiene by washing your hands with soap or  through hand rubs with alcohol before and after eating; before and after handling, cooking and preparing food; after coughing, sneezing and using the toilets; and before and before and after touching animals. 
  • Practice proper cough etiquette by covering your mouth and nose while sneezing or coughing. Use a facial tissue when coughing or sneezing and cover your mouth and nose with it. Dispose of the tissue in a waste basket. 
  • Avoid contact with farm and domesticated animals, including camels. 
  • Avoid contact with those who are sick or are infected with MERS-CoV. If you have a
  • respiratory illness, stay home and wear a surgical mask to protect your family 
  • members. 
  • If you are a health worker, follow infection control protocols at your workplace. 
  • Visit your doctor, a hospital or health facility immediately if symptoms of 
  • MERS-CoV including, persistent coughing, and other symptoms manifest themselves.
  • If you were in close contact with a confirmed MERS-CoV patient, comply 
  • with local health regulations and postpone any trip abroad until after test 
  • results are negative. 
  • Practice healthy habits such as regular exercise, balanced and nutritional 
  • diet, and adequate sleep of at least eight hours, to strengthen the body’s immunity. 
  • Do not panic and believe rumors regarding MERS-CoV. Make sure 
  • information comes from relevant government authority 
 
Mary Ann Gauran, manager of Damdam Manpower Services in Ermita, Manila, said applicants are aware of the risks of contracting MERS-CoV.
 
"Pinapangalagaan namin ang [kalusugan] ng aming mga aplikante, so kami mismo ang maga-advise sa kanila," she said in the "24 Oras" report.
 
Marty, one of the applicants said she would stay indoors as much as she can if she ever finds a job in the Arabian Peninsula.
 
"Siyempre natatakot din [ako] pero kailangan, kasi kung dito lang ako, mas lalo akong magkakasakit kasi wala kaming makain," Tracy, another applicant, said in the report.

Of 243 who have died from MERS-CoV, two were Filipinos.

The government has not issued travel restrictions to the Arabian Pensinsula because the World Health Organization has not declared a MERS-CoV epidemic in the region, the report said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs said three Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates who had been infected with MERS-CoV have been cleared and released from quarantine.

It is still waiting for the results of tests on two other Filipinos suspected of being infected by MERS-CoV. — Rie Takumi/Jonathan de Santos, GMA News

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