Another Pinoy nurse in Saudi suspected to have MERS-CoV – DFA

Another female Filipino nurse is now under isolation after she was suspected to have contracted the deadly MERS Coronavirus in Saudi Arabia, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.

“This is a female nurse, no age was given and she was placed under isolation,” Foreign Affairs spokesperson Charles Jose said.

“We are monitoring a total of four cases of Filipinos with MERS in Riyadh,” he added.

Jose, however, declined to provide the identity of the new suspected Filipino MERS victim.
 
Earlier this week, two female nurses, aged 29 and 32, were reported to be in the Intensive Care Unit, one male nurse in isolation and another female was under observation, but later on tested negative for MERS.
 
Jose said one of the four health workers, a 50-year-old nurse, has been discharged from the hospital based on the negative result from the series of tests conducted on her.
 
The two nurses in the ICU, on the other hand, were already conscious, Jose said, adding that one of them can already communicate.
 
However, the two will remain in the ICU, Jose said.
 
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.
 
Symptoms of MERS-CoV include fever, cough, shortness of breath and even diarrhea.
 
The Philippines has no travel ban to the Middle East but has called on Filipino workers in the region to practice health precautions for their own protection. — RSJ, GMA News

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