The Philippines declared that the second case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (MERS-CoV) in the country has been confirmed. Health authorities said that it was a 36-year-old foreigner who came to the country from Dubai. He is currently under quarantine.
The patient arrived in the country on June 19, 2015, who went to both Saudi Arabia and Dubai prior to his flight to the Philippines. On his flight, he did not manifest any signs and symptoms suggestive of MERS-CoV. The patient then exhibited fever and cough on Tuesday, June 30, the health department reported. He went to a medical care facility on Thursday, July 2 to have himself checked. He was tested and came out positive for the virus during the said hospital visit. On Saturday, July 4, he was transferred to the government-run Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, which is located south of the capital Manila. According to the Department of Health secretary Janette Garin, the patient is currently showing implications of recovery as evidenced by low viral levels.
Contact tracing had been initiated and those who came in close contact with the patient are currently being sought. The health authorities are looking to find 200 passengers aboard the patient's flight and 19 close contacts. One particular woman, who is a native of the country, has been symptomatic. She had been traced and isolated, with diagnostic test results still pending.
The president of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino III, has ordered strict surveillance and quarantine interventions at all areas of entry to the country. He also commanded the health department to guarantee that all individuals, who exhibit clinical manifestations of the virus, be reported in a timely manner for prompt isolation, treatment and contact tracing, stated Herminio Coloma, Jr., the presidential spokesperson. All medical facilities were also ordered to report cases or patients, who may possibly be positive for the virus so that the necessary procedures may be started.
The first case of confirmed MERS-CoV in the Philippines was a woman, who worked as nurse in the Middle East. She later recovered fully from the virus.
MERS-CoV is caused by a coronavirus, similar to that of the common cold and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The first global case of the virus was diagnosed in the Middle East in 2012 and the first mortality was noted in Saudi Arabia in June of the same year. The exact mode of transmission of the virus has not been clearly identified but there is a possibility that it can be spread through droplet or when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. The signs and symptoms of MERS-CoV include fever, difficulty of breathing and cough. Neither a vaccine nor a treatment has been developed to combat the virus. The mortality rate of the disease all around the globe is about 36 percent.
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