Indonesia issues MERS-CoV advisory

The Indonesian government is warning pilgrims about a viral respiratory disease that spread rapidly in Saudi Arabia in recent weeks.

With an outbreak of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) reported in Saudi Arabia, Indonesian health officials are moving to prevent the infectious disease from spreading to the archipelago.

Hajj pilgrims from Indonesia in particular, could be exposed to the virus in crowds at Mecca and at other sites in the kingdom and then bring it home, officials warn.

On Friday (May 2nd), the Indonesian government announced it would work with Saudi Arabia and other nations to contain the health threat, state-run Antara reported.

The Health Ministry also notified Indonesians travelling to Saudi Arabia-- particularly those going on minor Hajj pilgrimages-- to take precautions against the disease, Antara quoted Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi as saying. Its symptoms are similar to bird flu or avian influenza.

As many as 138 cases of MERS-CoV were identified in Saudi Arabia between April 11th and 26th, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). As of April 26th, WHO counted 261 lab-confirmed cases worldwide since September 2012, including 95 fatal ones.

Getting the word out

No MERS-CoV cases have been reported in Indonesia, but a 61-year-old Indonesian man living in Saudi Arabia died of the disease in a Jeddah hospital on April 27th, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, disease control and environment health director for the Health Ministry, told reporters April 29th.

The Indonesian government will follow up by tracking down people who interacted with this man, Tjandra said.

"We will continue this process for the next two weeks with the Indonesian Consulate in Saudi Arabia, as well as with the World Health Organisation. We will also have a meeting with future Muslim pilgrims from Indonesia to ensure their safe travel," he told Khabar Southeast Asia.

Because as many as 250,000 pilgrims from Indonesia go on Hajj every year, the government is now busy informing those travellers about the risks of exposure to MERS-CoV, Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said.

"With this huge number of people, every citizen must be aware of this virus. Every citizen is responsible to look after [his] health and resilience while performing Hajj," he told reporters.

Despite the health scare, Jakarta resident Farida Manti plans to join the throngs of Muslims from across the globe converging on Mecca for the Hajj in early October.

"I only can take preventative measures to avoid this virus. However, I will not cancel the pilgrim trip. I have been planning this for years," Farida, who plans to attend with seven relatives, told Khabar.

source: khabarsoutheastasia.com