Health Bureau launches measures to prevent MERS outbreak

Women wearing masks as a precaution against the MERS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, virus use their smartphones on the street in Seoul, South Korea

The Health Bureau (SSM) is launching measures to prevent a potential Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) out-break. Anyone visiting or using public emergency rooms will now be required to wear a surgical mask.
According to a TDM report, SSM stressed that this is merely a preventive measure, as currently there’s no risk of MERS spreading in Macau.
Those resorting to the public hospital’s emergency room in the Peninsula or emergency services in Taipa will be required to wear a surgical mask.
“We will be asking people going into the emergency area to wear a mask to prevent the spread of the disease, because as we know there are different reasons leading people to resort to emergency services, [this will include] the hospital emergency and also in Taipa’s emergency services,” said Lei Wai Seng, who’s in charge of Conde S. Januário’s emergency room, on the sidelines of a press conference held yesterday.
SSM has also suggested that Kiang Wu and other private clinics in Macau follow the same rule.
“At this moment we are still working on some prevention procedures. I think the public doesn’t need to be so worried about the disease because we are doing a very strict process to prevent the disease from spreading in our area,” Mr Lei added.
Another measure in place involves using the Hac Sa Youth Hostel as an isolation and quarantine area if needed.
The government has stressed it’s prepared for a possible MERS outbreak.
So far there are no suspected cases of MERS in Macau. However, authorities are still searching for a South Korean visitor who entered the city after coming into contact with a MERS patient last week (May 26) on an Asiana Airlines flight OZ723 from Seoul to Hong Kong.
The bureau confirmed yesterday that they still haven’t located the South Korean man, Radio Macau reported.
SSM disclosed on Sunday that apart from five passengers who had been identified as being in close contact with the initial MERS patient, there were also 26 Korean passengers on the same flight who visited Macau between May 26 and 28. Border checkpoint records showed that they all left Macau on May 28 and 29, except for one.
The initial patient, a 44-year-­old South Korean man who traveled from Seoul to Hong Kong last week ignoring travel warnings, was confirmed as China’s first MERS patient. He neglected to tell a nurse at the airport’s health checkpoint that he had a fever. He later took two buses to Huizhou. CP