Fill out immigration cards properly amid MERS-CoV, OFWs told

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said the government has urged returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to properly fill out immigration arrival cards after a male nurse returned on April 15 an was initially detected positive for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

The returning OFW was eventually cleared of MERS-CoV after undergoing quarantine and a series of laboratory tests. The DOH is still tracing all passengers of Etihad Airways Flight EY 0424, the same flight of the returning OFW, to conduct nose-throat swab testing. Only four more have not been contacted as of Thursday, the state agency said.

DOH Program Manager on Emerging Infectious Diseases Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy said the agency had some difficulties contacting the passengers because they did not fill out their arrival cards properly.

"For example, some passengers merely wrote 'Quezon City' on the arrival card when asked for their address. It is our personal obligation to fill out forms properly. Should there be a problem, these forms have our personal data,” Suy said.

The DOH urges the remaining passengers to cooperate in preventing a possible spread of the disease. Passengers can visit the nearest DOH hospital or call DOH hotlines  711-1001; 711-1002; 0922-884-1564; 0920-949-8419 and 09157725621.