Last suspect MERS-CoV ‘carrier’ Cleared
CEBU, Philippines - The last passenger from Abu Dhabi suspected to have acquired the Middle East Respiratory-Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was cleared of the disease.
Rennan Cimafranca, chief of the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the Department of Health, said the confirmatory laboratory test on the passenger yielded negative. The passenger was released from hospital last Saturday.
The passenger was aboard the Etihad Airlines flight EY 424 from Abu Dhabi to Manila last April 15 and was thought to have purposely avoided authorities in Cebu.
Cimafranca, clarified, however, that this was not the case.
“Ang ingon niya, wala gyud daw siya nakahibawo nga gipa-ngita siya,†Cimafranca said.
Authorities had a hard time locating the last person because he only gave his name and indica-ted ‘Cebu City’ as his address. Personnel from the regional police office also traced five people with the same name but identification turned out to be negative.
Even with the last person cleared, Cimafranca said DOH will continue to be vigilant because of the 400 passengers and crewmem bers listed in the manifest, there are still passengers who did not declare their addresses.
“So far, wala na sila’y gipa-trace karon pero kun naa’y information nga kanang tawhana, naa sa Central Visayas, pangitaon nasad nato,†he said.
Cimafranca said DOH and the Bureau of Quarantine are still monitoring the passengers who have just arrived from the Middle East closely.
He said Cebu and the entire Region-7 remain Mers-CoV free as of yesterday.
DOH- 7 has tested all 26 passengers listed in the manifest who believed to be in the Central Visayas, and all of them turned out to be negative of the dreaded virus.
The MERS-CoV is a disease caused by a virus that causes a rapid onset of severe respiratory disease in people. A person infected with MERS-CoV, which does not yet have a cure or vaccine developed, suffers from high fever, cough, and shortness of breath, among other symptoms. — /JMO (FREEMAN)
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