Ministry issues warning on MERS

JAKARTA. As the Saudi Arabian government confirmed more cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), the Health Ministry has begun to raise awareness about the disease to Muslims planning to take religious trips to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has confirmed 10 more cases of MERS have emerged, with two more patients dying from the disease. The virus has killed a third of those infected, according to a report by Antara news agency.

The report came following an announcement by Egypt on Saturday, confirming its first case of MERS in a man who had just returned from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he worked.

Tjandra Yoga Aditama, the Health Ministry’s director general for disease control and environmental health, said the ministry had taken measures to raise awareness about the disease to would-be pilgrims.

“Minor haj pilgrims should stick to the guidelines on cleanliness and healthy behavior, and immediately seek treatment if they show symptoms of fever or respiratory problems, whether in Saudi Arabia or within two weeks after returning home,” Yoga said in a statement.

He said the ministry was also collaborating with several other institutions, including provincial level health agencies (Dinkes), hospitals and travel agencies.

“We have been coordinating with the Religious Affairs Ministry’s directorate general for the haj and minor haj,” he said, adding that he had also spoken with officials from the Foreign Ministry’s directorate for the Middle East.

Contacted separately, Febrian Ruddyard, the Foreign Ministry’s Middle East director, said measures had been taken to warn the public about MERS since last year.

“We launched the campaign last year, to ensure that those people at higher risk refrain from going on the pilgrimage,” Febrian said.

Each year, between 400,000 and 600,000 people join the pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Foreign Ministry data shows.

Febrian also said that the ministry would be responsible for relaying information about the spread of the disease through the country’s representative offices in Saudi Arabia.

“We have yet to determine the definitive nature of our cooperation [with the Health Ministry], but it will be along the lines of information dissemination,” Febrian told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

He said the Foreign Ministry and the Health Ministry would be discussing the issue this week.

“We will be able to provide an assessment of the situation, which we will relay to the Health Ministry, which in turn will advise the Religious Affairs Ministry,” he said, adding that the Foreign Ministry would issue travel advice, warnings or suspensions.

MERS was first detected in Saudi Arabia two years ago. As of now, the country has recorded 323 cases, 94 of which resulted in death.

The total 127 cases announced since early April show a 65 percent increase in infections in Saudi Arabia.

There were seven new cases in Jeddah, two more in the capital, Riyadh, and one in Mecca, the Saudi Health Ministry said in a statement on its official website.

Saudi citizens have expressed their concerns on social media sites about their government’s inadequate response in dealing with the outbreak, culminating in the dismissal last week of the country’s health minister by King Abdullah. (tjs)