Hunt continues for 43 Etihad passengers

A WEEK after Etihad Airways flight EY0424 landed in Manila, the government has tracked down more than 80 percent of its passengers, with only 43 persons yet to be tested for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (MERS-CoV).

“According to the DOH, as of this time only 43 out of 414 have not been contacted. Three hundred twenty five (325) passengers or almost 80 percent have been contacted, while 46 passengers are still undergoing contact tracing,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said at noon yesterday.

He said that out of the 325 passengers, 252 have undergone nose and throat swabbing. Of the number, 221 passengers having tested negative while 31 others are waiting for their results.

In Central Visayas, the Regional Epidemiological Surveillance Unit (Resu-7) said a total of 25 people were accounted for, of which 11 – including three OFWs from the Middle East who did not take the Etihad flight – are under quarantine at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City.

“Despite these highly encouraging results, we call on our citizens to remain vigilant, and to heed preventive measures and quarantine procedures of our health authorities,” Coloma said.

Travelers on the Etihad flight were tracked down by authorities after their co-passenger tested positive for MERS-CoV in the United Arab Emirates. Subsequent testing, however, revealed that he did not have the illness or had recovered from it. Nevertheless, the Department of Health believes that he may still be a carrier of the virus, prompting them to contact everyone he has been in contact with, including those on the Etihad flight.

The MERS-CoV is a deadly virus related to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Its symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath and diarrhea.

CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS

Central Visayas health officials gave conflicting statements on the patients’ status and whereabouts.

Reynan Cimafranca, head of Resu-7, said they have sought the help of the police and the Bureau of Immigration to track down a passenger who remains unaccounted for, but is believed to be still in Cebu.

He together with Dr. Expedito Medalla, coordinator of Health Emergency Management Staff (Hems), said as of 2 p.m yesterday 25 people – including two Nigerians – are “under observation”. The count, they said, includes the missing passenger.

Cimafranca said of the 25, two of them were from Bohol, two from Negros Oriental and the rest are from Cebu.

One patient is confined in a private hospital while 11 are at VSMMC, of which three were OFWs from the Middle East who voluntarily submitted themselves for testing. Cimafranca said they were not among the passengers of the April 15 Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi.

He said they were able to subject the 24 to swab testing, but except for the 11 at VSMMC and the one in a private hospital, they were apparently allowed to go home.

Authorities are expecting to get hold of the swab test results of six of the patients at 11 p.m last night.

No shows

Dr. Gerardo Aquino, chief of hospital of VSMMC, said they were expecting four Etihad passengers to turn up Tuesday afternoon but were no shows.

He said health authorities are now trying to locate their whereabouts as they reportedly went on with their vacation.

Medalla said they hope that the swab test results will turn out negative.

“If ever there would be a positive result, then it will be a big work to do because we will locate the other exposed people,” he said./with Inquirer and AP