DOH – Philippines Still MERS-CoV Free

The Department of Health (DOH) announced on Friday that the Philippines is still free from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-Cov), after the Filipina nurse who had been reported of having an asymptomatic case of the disease tested negative, according to the results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).

“It’s negative,” DOH spokesperson Lyndon Lee Suy disclosed. “Negative ang ating resulta doon sa ating case na itinawag sa atin na positive for MERS-CoV.”

“What’s good about this is that when there is a negative case, there’s no way for the infection to be transmitted as there will be no source,” he added.

In a recent statement, DOH revealed that a female nurse they called AP from Damman, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) who arrived here last Friday had an asymptomatic case of MERS-CoV. The agency has been informed about AP’s condition, on Tuesday, by her co-worker (identified only as CB) after receiving the result of their mandatory MERS-CoV testing, which they both took on August 25.

She [AP] will be discharged today [September 5],” the spokesperson added.

AP has been confined at the Southern Philippine Medical Center SPMC in Davao City, with relatives who had contact with her.

Suy clarified that the relative of AP who had fever also not infected with MERS-CoV.

“Meron daw isa na nilagnat. Definitely hindi MERS-CoV iyon kasi nga wala namang panggagalingan kasi negative itong index case.”

(Source: Manila Bulletin – September 5, 2014)