DFA: Two Filipino Nurses in ICU for MERS Virus

Two female Filipino nurses in Saudi Arabia have been confined in the intensive care unit for contracting the deadly MERS-COV virus, while two others are in isolation, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday.

DFA Spokesman Charles Jose declined to identify the Filipino victims, but said all four work in the same hospital and got the virus due to exposure from MERS patients.

Those in the ICU are aged 29 and 32, while the other two – a 55-year-old male and 50-year-old female – are in isolation and under observation.

“Our embassy was assured by the hospital management that they will be given the best possible treatment,” Jose told a press briefing.

Since 2013, MERS-COV has claimed the lives of 10 Filipino workers in the Middle East, where the virus is prevalent.

With the new reported MERS cases involving Filipinos, Jose called on Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia to take the necessary precautions and to follow the measures being undertaken by local health authorities.

For those working in the hospitals, Jose said they should be guided by the infection prevention protocol in their place of work and to seek medical attention in case they experience any of the disease’s symptoms.

Saudi Arabia, home to at least 1 million Filipino workers, has been most affected by the virus, which has spilled over to some neighboring Middle East states. There were also some cases reported in the past in Germany, United Kingdom, France, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and South Korea. (PNA) CTB/MDC/SSC