Pinay nurse in Jeddah is latest MERS-CoV case among OFWs

A Filipina nurse in Jeddah is the latest Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) case involving overseas Filipino workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Welfare Officer Amelito Adel of the Overseas Worker Welfare Administration in Jeddah told GMA News on Friday that the nurse worked at a hospital in Jeddah taking care MERS-CoV patients.

“Meron tayong bagong kaso ng MERS-CoV, isa po siyang nurse na Pilipina at siya ay naka-confine ngayon sa isang MERS designated hospital dito sa Jeddah,” Adel said.

Also, he said that the doctor taking care of the infected Pinay assured him that the nurse is now in good condition, and that the respiratory tube connected to her has already been removed.

Based on the latest World Health Organization records, six new MERS-CoV cases have been reported by the National IHR Focal Point in Saudi Arabia between September 20 and 26 this year.

Adel reminded OFWs in the kingdom, particularly those working in hospitals and clinics attending to MERS-CoV patients, to be extra cautious against the dreaded disease.

Late in August, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said that the government was monitoring at least four cases of MERS-CoV infections involving OFWs.

He then said that 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 the virus.

Moreover, he said that one of the four health workers, a 50-year-old nurse, had been discharged from the hospital.

Also in the August 2015 report, Jose said that since 2013 a total of 10 Filipinos, eight from Saudi and two from the United Arab Emirates, have died from contracting the virus.
 
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. — LBG, GMA News 

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