By
Dominic I. Sanchez
ZAMBOANGA
CITY – The four of the five
co-passengers of the pregnant Filipina nurse diagnosed with the Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome – Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) who flew to Zamboanga City have
no traces of the disease so far, said City Health Officer Rodelin Agbulos in a
press conference here Monday.
Dr.
Agbulos told the press that upon arrival in the city, the four passengers were
diagnosed with no symptoms of MERS-CoV.
“The
passengers are asymptomatic, meaning they had no signs of the symptoms of the
virus,” Dr. Agbulos explained. He added that the City Health Office is
continuously monitoring the passengers for any symptoms.
“The
fifth was not monitored since the passenger immediately proceeded to Jolo
province, said Agbulos. But the passenger was already reported to the
Department of Health (DOH) to be monitored in the province.
Last Sunday (February
15), Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Sonny
Coloma bared that two more co-passengers of the Filipina nurse were monitored
to have been exhibiting symptoms, and are already under isolation.
“The
Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Makati is monitoring the two
patients, and providing them with medical care,” Coloma said over Radyo ng
Bayan.
On
February 1, Saudia Airlines flight 860 arrived in Manila with 225 passengers on
board, including the confirmed MERS-COV patient, and the five who had already
reached Zamboanga City.
Meanwhile,
the DOH has been reminding the passengers to immediately seek medical
assistance or contact the local DOH if they experience symptoms such as fever,
body pain, or difficulty in breathing. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are also other
possible symptoms.
According
to the World Health Organization (WHO) as of February, 358 people have already
died from the virus worldwide. Medical scientists from all over the world are
still uncertain as to how the virus originated, although they generally believe
that it came from an animal source. To date, medical authorities believe that
MERS-CoV is spread due to close contact with an infected person, although
health agencies now are still trying to determine the specifics of its spread.