Philippine President Benigno Aquino III (pic) has directed the Department of Health (DOH) to heighten awareness among the public on the Middle East Respirator Syndrome-Corona Virus (MERS-CoV), Xinhua news agency reported.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona today said the DOH is working closely with all government agencies concerned to ensure public health and safety despite there is no epidemic or outbreak of the virus.
"The DOH has mobilised a task force to boost awareness among our people and prevent the spread of this communicable disease," he said.
The Bureau of Quarantine will issue alert bulletins to people travelling from the Middle East and passing through international airports.
A male Filipino nurse travelling on Etihad Airlines flight EY 0424 to the Philippines on April 15 tested positive for MERS-CoV earlier in the United Arab Emirates.
However, a second test on the nurse turned out negative based on findings from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
Ona said that all the more than 400 passengers who travelled with the man on the same flight were considered at risk, and the MERS-CoV task force has continued to trace them.
Ona urged passengers on the Etihad flight to test for the virus.
The DOH has advised all Filipinos recently returned from the Middle East to report to the nearest hospital if they experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, cold and sneezing.
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