Days after President Aquino told the Health Department to intensify efforts in tracking down passengers of the Etihad flight that carried the 45-year-old Filipino male nurse, who initially tested positive for the MERS virus, the DOH posted on its Facebook page that there were only six passengers left to be contacted to undergo testing for possible MER-CoV contamination.
According to the DOH, the following passengers have not been contacted:
- Christopher Abellana
- Dianah Dayrit
- Maritess Navarro
- Aileen Rivera
- Mylene Robante
- Liystely Sorolla
The DOH continues to appeal to the passengers to get in touch with the agency through the following hotlines: 711-1001; 711-1002; 0922-884-1564; 0920-949-8419; 09157725621 or go to the nearest DOH hospital for immediate testing.
Following the arrival of the Filipino male nurse who was exposed to the Filipino paramedic who died from MERS two weeks ago in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the government has implemented stricter measures in allowing the entry of Filipinos arriving from the Middle East as a means to keep the country free of the dreaded Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
MERS-CoV is a communicable disease that may be passed on to others through close contact with a positive carrier. The virus has a 10 to 14-day incubation period. Symptoms include fever, coughing, sneezing, and runny nose two weeks after exposure.
