Filipino nurse with MERS now recovering

Another Filipino nurse has been infected with the dreaded Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Friday.

Foreign Assistant Secretary and DFA spokesperson Charles Jose, however, said the Filipino nurse had been showing signs of recovery after catching the virus two weeks ago.

“After several days of treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU), the patient showed signs of improvement and was unhooked from the mechanical ventilator a few days ago,” Jose said in a text message.

“She is now breathing on her own,” Jose said.

Jose said while her laboratory test for MERS-CoV had turned positive, she would probably be taken out of the ICU and transferred to an isolation room in a few days.

The Filipino nurse was the latest victim of the disease that has killed hundreds and infected more than 1,000 people, according to the World Health Organization.

In the last two months, at least five Filipino nurses contracted the virus. But all have been discharged from the hospital after their medical conditions improved.

Those infected with MERS-CoV, which was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, develop severe acute respiratory illness, including fever, cough and shortness of breath.