Suspected MERS case shuts Laguna hospital ER
The emergency room of Laguna Doctors Hospital in Sta. Cruz, Laguna was temporarily closed on Wednesday due to a suspected case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
According to Glenn Ramos, spokesperson of the Department of Health (DOH) in Calabarzon, it is still not confirmed if the patient indeed contracted the said disease.
The DOH said that the patient is a 47-year-old male who arrived from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Ramos, in a phone interview with the Manila Bulletin, said that the temporary closure of the hospital’s emergency room is to clean up the facility as part of its precautionary measure.
“Hindi naman nagsara yung ospital, yung emergency room kung saan siya nagpacheckup lilinisan lang nila iyon as precautionary measure,” said Ramos.
Ramos said that the public should not panic as the case is still considered “suspected.”
Meanwhile, DOH-Calabarzon Regional Director Eduardo Janairo, in a radio interview, said that those who had close contact with the patient, including family members and hospital staff, are under observation.
“Under observation sila. Sila ngayon ang binabantayan in any case magkaroon sila ng pneumonia or respiratory disease ay kailangan isolate agad,” he said
Janairo said that the situation is considered “under control” because the patient, who he said is an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), is now in isolation at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City.
“Finafollow up natin kung nakuhan na ng specimen para ma-sure natin kung sya ay MersCov na sakit,” he said.
“Suspect palang siya, under investigation,” he added.
Meanwhile, the DOH-Central office in Manila said in a text message that the Epidemiology Bureau is still verifying the case.
The DOH said that people who got infected with the said syndrome developed severe acute respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
The DOH advised individuals to seek medical attention if they experience such symptoms, especially those Filipino workers who are stationed in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries.
In 2015, two patients were diagnosed with MersCov in the Philippines. This include a Filipina nurse and a 36-year-old foreigner.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “at the end of December 2018, a total of 2,279 laboratory-confirmed cases” of MERS, including 806 deaths, were reported globally.