Latest Filipino victim got MERS-CoV from wife —DFA

A Filipino man, the latest MERS-COV victim in Saudi Arabia, apparently contracted the deadly virus from his wife, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.

“Our embassy in Riyadh has confirmed that a Filipino there has contracted the MERS virus which he got from his wife who works in a hospital in Riyadh,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said.

“It was the wife who first got MERS and she was confined in a hospital and she got well and when she returned home, after a few days, the husband got infected.”

The man, Jose said, is confined in a Riyadh hospital for treatment. The wife has already recovered from her symptoms.

“He’s getting the proper treatment,” Jose assured.

Symptoms of MERS-COV, according to the World Health Organization, include fever, cough, shortness of breath and even diarrhea.

Hundreds of Filipino health workers are scattered in hospitals across the Middle East, making them vulnerable to acquiring the virus.

The Philippines is not imposing any travel restrictions to and from the Arabian Peninsula but has called on Filipinos in the Middle East to exercise vigilance and practice health precautions for their own protection.

Since 2013, a total of 10 Filipinos, eight from Saudi and two from the United Arab Emirates, have died from contracting the virus, which is prevalent in the Middle East region.

In South Korea, where a number of MERS cases have been reported, no Filipino has so far been infected with the virus, Jose said.

“Our embassy in Seoul is monitoring the situation closely on the situation there and they are continually in touch with the Filipino community. The embassy has already issued advisories to take precautionary measures to prevent infection,” he said. -NB, GMA News

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