OFW from UAE, 40 others test negative for MERS-CoV, DOH says  

The overseas Filipino worker initially diagnosed with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) while he was in the United Arab Emirates has tested negative for the disease, the Department of Health said Saturday.

“Wala siyang symptoms. Talagang this is all precautionary,” DOH Secretary Enrique Ona told a news conference where he announced the results of further tests on the Filipino male nurse, who had been exposed to a Filipino paramedic in UAE who died from the virus last week.

Forty passengers who were with the nurse on Flight EY 0424 from the United Arab Emirates last Tuesday also tested negative for MERS-CoV, Ona said.

Out of the flight's 415 passengers, the DOH has contacted 119, of whom 72 have been tested.

The DOH is still waiting for the results of the tests on the other passengers. It takes at least nine hours to get test results, the agency said.

There is no epidemic or outbreak of MERS-CoV in the country and also in the Middle East, where the virus is believed to have originated, the DOH said. Nonetheless, OFWs coming home from the Middle East were urged to have themselves checked in a hospital if they feel flu-like symptoms such as fever, colds, cough, or sneezing.

Discharged

Last Wednesday, the DOH confirmed that the nurse was the first reported case of MERS-CoV in the Philippines, based on initial test results from the UAE.

He was quarantined along with his family but has been discharged after the negative results from the second test came out.

“Wala nang nagsi-circulate na [virus] sa katawan niya,” Ona said, adding that the nurse's wife, two children, and helper also tested negative for the virus and have been discharged.

The nurse had undergone laboratory exams in the UAE but left for Manila before the results were released.

Upon his arrival in Manila, the results from the UAE were released, which showed he was infected. The findings prompted the DOH to put him and his family in quarantine for further tests.

The DOH said MERS-CoV is a communicable disease that may be passed on to others through exposure or close contact with a positive carrier.

The health department has set up the following hotlines for any queries or information from the public: 711-1001 to 02, 0922-8841564, 0920-9498419 and 0915-7725621. — with reports from Joel Locsin and Amanda Fernandez/LBG, GMA News