‘Be prudent in posting information on MERS’

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) asked the public to be responsible in posting information about the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) on social networking sites.

This came after netizens posted on Facebook last Tuesday that a nurse from Saudi Arabia reportedly found positive for MERS-CoV was confined at the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC).

But Glen Alonsabe, chief of DOH regional epidemiology and surveillance unit, said that the swab test result showed that the nurse was negative for the virus.

He also belied text messages saying that two more persons positive for MERS-CoV were confined at the WVMC.

Alonsabe said the public should not immediately believe what they hear or read about the virus. “The official report should come from the DOH.”

Currently, the DOH has been able to test 394 of the 414 passengers of the Etihad Airlines flight that carried a Filipino nurse who was initially found positive for MERS-CoV.

Of the 394 examined, 371 were found negative for the virus. The test results of others are still being processed.

Lyndon Lee Suy, DOH’s program manager for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, said health authorities are still looking for 10 of the 414 passengers, although the 14-day incubation period for MERS-CoV lapsed last Monday.

“If ever the 10 passengers did not develop symptoms, considering the profile of the disease, it’s safe to say there’s no problem,” Suy said. “But we’re still tracking because we don’t want people to be complacent about this. The threat will always be there.”   – With Ben Serrano