Saudi citizen dies in Philippines of MERS-CoV infection
Philippines health authorities have announced the death of a Saudi citizen in the country due to an infection of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus (MERS-CoV).
"It is a contained situation," said Philippine’s Health Secretary Janette Garin on Saturday, insisting that there was no cause for alarm, according to a DPA report that said the 63-year-old Saudi national entered the country on September 17 and exhibited symptoms of the disease a week following his arrival.
The Philippines Health Department further stated that the case was believed to be the first fatality in the country attributed to the MERS-CoV.
Meanwhile, the yet unidentified victim was admitted to a private hospital after showing symptoms of the MERS infection, including coughing, high fever and chills on September 28, and passed away the following day.
Health authorities in Manila also announced that a task force has begun tracking 93 individuals that might have been in contact with the Saudi man during his visit to the country. They added that 81 of those being tracked have been identified, including 55 hospital employees.
According to the officials, 12 hospital staff that exhibited symptoms of the virus had tested negative for MERS-CoV, but will remain under monitoring for two more weeks.
Two other cases of MERS-CoV have so far been reported in the Philippines this year, the report added, noting that one of them was a foreign national and the other was a Filipino nurse that came from Saudi Arabia. Both of them have recovered from the virus.
According to the the World Health Organization (WHO), 15 cases, including one death, was reported in the latest outbreak of MERS-CoV infection in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
Globally, the WHO says, there have been 1,432 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 507 related deaths since September 2012.
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