One Case of MERS-CoV in the Philippines is Reported to WHO

On Feb. 12, 2015, the IHR National Focal Point of the Philippines notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of one  laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection.

A 31-year-old female, who worked as a healthcare professional in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, developed symptoms on Jan. 26 while still working at the hospital. The patient, was managed as a case of hypersensitivity reaction. On Feb. 1, she flew with a family member to Manila, Philippines, where they stayed at their home. On Feb. 2, the patient sought medical care at a local private hospital, where she was admitted. The patient was diagnosed with acute bronchitis. Following laboratory confirmation of MERS-CoV infection, on Feb. 10, the patient was transferred to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), where she remains in isolation room. Currently, the patient is afebrile and remains stable.

The Philippines Department of Health (DoH) is carrying out active tracing of household and healthcare contacts. The DoH is also actively tracing all passengers on the flight to Manila. Identified contacts are being assessed and monitored for 14 days from last known date of exposure. Any contact that becomes symptomatic will be isolated at the RITM.

Globally, WHO has been notified of 978 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 359 related deaths.

Source: WHO