DOH – Only 25% of MERS Flight Passengers Tracked

Only a part of the passengers from two flights that had a Filipina nurse from Saudi Arabia positive for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus (MERS-CoV) have been tracked down as per Health Secretary Enrique Ona. Only 25% of the 249 passengers of the Saudia Airlines flight have been traced while none from the Cebu Pacific flight which carried the 37-year old infected nurse identified as “AP’’ to General Santos City.

Department of Health (DOH) spokesperson Lyndon Lee Suy said they have the names and contact numbers of the passengers in the Saudia flight but no contact numbers of the travellers in the Cebu Pacific flight since they were not noted down by the airline company. He added that they had the manifest and the airlines were providing them with the addresses.

Ona advised passengers of both flights to closely monitor their condition and immediately seek medical attention if they feel anything unusual. He also appealed to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle East to undergo tests for MERS-CoV and wait for the results before going home.

(Source: The Philippine Star – September 5, 2014)