MERS 2015 outbreak news & update: Saudi national visiting Philippines dead; suspected death by MERS

• comments
• 
• 

A 63-year-old Saudi national has died while exhibiting MERS symptoms while visiting the Philippine capital, Manila.

The country's Department of Health (DOH) stated on Saturday that the man died on Tuesday after being admitted in an unnamed hospital for two days. He was suspected of carrying the MERS virus as the patient had cough, fever, and chills.

According to Health Secretary Janette Garin, the DOH got the information too late and were unable to test him for the virus. This disables them from officially declaring the Saudi national as being the first MERS death in the Philippines.

"This is an extraordinary situation because we were not able to isolate the actual virus since the tourist had already died and been embalmed," Garin said, in a report by Inquirer. "Because of the religion of the tourist, he was immediately embalmed and repatriated to his country."

In the report by Philstar, Garin stated that the patient could no longer be tested for the MERS because he was already embalmed.

"We could not confirm by laboratory although his symptoms are suggestive of MERS-CoV. The actual isolation of the virus was not done because he was already embalmed and given formalin. We are coordinating with the WHO and officials of the Saudi embassy on how he will be classified," said Garin.

Garin said that the Saudi man had cough, high fever, chills, breathing difficulties and his chest x-rays had "similar symptoms" to MERS infection. The tourist who was originally from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, also had myocardial infarction.

Furthermore, when the tourist arrived in the Philippines on Sept. 17, he did not show any signs or symptoms of MERS infection that is why he was able to pass through the airport. The Saudi man stayed in a hotel and had shown symptoms on Sept. 26. Two days later, the foreigner was taken to a hospital after asking assistance from the hotel staff. The man died on Sept. 29.

"Unfortunately, the patient's condition deteriorated and he was pronounced dead on Sept. 29. Aside from the signs and symptoms, including x-ray results suggestive of MERS, the patient also showed indication of Myocardial Infarction," Garin explained.

The Manila Bulletin reports that the DOH had begun tracing the people who were in contact with the Saudi national. According to Health spokesperson Lyndon Lee Suy, the foreigner's driver did not show any MERS infection symptoms.

"If he tests negative he will continue stay with his family until the end of the 14 days he was exposed from the index case," Lee Suy explained.

The department has traced 101 people who are suspected of having been in contact with the Saudi national. They could not yet confirm or verify if the Saudi tourist died from the MERS-CoV.