NewsKarnataka – Mangalore

Mangalore: Even as officials began passive screening of passengers arriving at Mangalore International Airport on Thursday for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-Cov), around five private and one government hospital have been identified in the city for treatment of patients, informed District Health and Family Welfare Officer H.S. Shivakumar during a press meet.

Apart from the Government Wenlock Hospital, private hospitals such as Father Muller Medical College Hospital, Kankanady; Unity Hospital, Falnir Road; Yenepoya Hospital, Kodialbail; and Kasturba Medical College Hospitals at Attavar and Ambedkar Circle are the hospitals identified to to treat (MERS-Cov) cases if any.

He said the “passive screening” (checking only suspected cases) of passengers arriving directly from the Middle East (Sharjah, Doha, Bahrain and Dubai) is done at Mangalore International Airport.

Dr. Shivakumar said that two teams of doctors will be on round-the-clock duty, in two shifts at the airport and that  each team comprised a doctor and two paramedical staff. An ambulance has also been kept ready at the airport, he informed.

The symptoms of MERS — first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012 — include fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath. There is no specific treatment to it. It has to be treated symptomatically, said Dr. Shivakumar.

 Passengers from the Middle East who have these symptoms should get themselves checked within 14 days of arrival. For treatment, contact 94498 43255 (district disease surveillance unit) or Government Wenlock Hospital at 0824-2425038.