Pinay nurse with MERS-CoV pregnant

MANILA, Philippines - The 32-year-old Filipina nurse who tested positive for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus (MERS-CoV) is four to five weeks pregnant, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.

It is the nurse’s second pregnancy. She lost her first baby.

Health acting Secretary Janette Garin gave the assurance that doctors are making sure the baby is safe.

An obstetrician-gynecologist is looking after the nurse and she is not being subjected to X-rays.

Garin said sounds coming from the nurse’s lungs showed the extent of the infection.

As of Wednesday night, the nurse did not have fever and was in stable condition. Her sputum remained positive for the virus.

Since the nurse is pregnant, Garin said doctors are observing precautionary measures in giving her medicine. She said there are medicines that are safe for pregnant women.

“The baby getting infected is not possible, but there’s a possibility that its survival may be affected if the mother will not be cured,” she said.

The nurse arrived in Manila from Saudi Arabia with her husband last Feb. 1. She was not showing any symptoms of MERS-CoV.  The next day, she developed fever and cough.

She sought treatment at a medical facility, but MERS-CoV was not immediately considered until last Tuesday when she was referred to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa.

The three tests conducted on her were positive for the virus.

Contacts

Garin said the nurse’s husband and mother-in-law were also tested and subjected to a two-week quarantine at the RITM.

The DOH located 47 relatives of the nurse and personnel of the first medical facility that treated her. They were also subjected to tests and the results have yet to be released.

Garin said the DOH was able to locate 63 of 225 passengers of the Saudia Flight 860, which the nurse and her husband took.

“The DOH is ready. We have enough re-agents that will be used for testing. We have a PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.) package for MERS-Cov. What is lacking is public coordination for our contact tracing,” she said.

The health agency found out that most of the passengers gave wrong addresses and contact numbers in the health checklists that they filled out before disembarking from the plane.

The DOH is asking the public to coordinate with DOH if they know anybody who was on the same flight with the couple.

To encourage passengers to come forward, DOH has decided to remove the two-week quarantine period for suspected patients.

The passengers will be confined merely for 24 hours while waiting for the results of their laboratory tests. If they test negative, they will be discharged.

Garin said the passengers should observe themselves for any symptoms of MERS-CoV, such as cough, fever and shortness of breath.

She said those who have asthma should not mistake MERS-CoV symptoms for an asthma attack.

The DOH will hold an inter-agency meeting with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Bureau of Immigration and Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to discuss efforts to protect Filipino migrant workers, particularly those working in health facilities.

Presidential Communications Operations Office chief Herminio Coloma said the government is intensifying efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.

Coloma said the nurse remains in stable condition at the RITM where 10 other persons had been admitted for checkup. – With Aurea Calica