REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, YOGYAKARTA - An Indonesian citizen with initial name of NA (61 years) residing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,  died of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The patient has been hospitalized at King Saudi Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia since April 20, 2014. 

"We have communicated with Director General of Asia Pacific at Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Indonesian Ambassador in Saudi Arabia related to NA condition. We will follow up the case closely," Director General of Disease Control and Environmental Health at Ministry of Health, Tjandra Yoga Aditama said in written statement on Tuesday.

Aditama explained that people must remember five important things. First, MERS CoV case is not only occured in Jeddah, but also in Mecca and Medina. Those three cities are visited by umrah and hajj pilgrims. Second, there is a rising number of the disease transmission from patient to health care workers. Third, an umrah pilgrim from Turkey was infected by MERS after returning from Saudi. 

Fourth, the number of MERS cases is reported in Malaysia and the Philippines shows the increasing number of cases in Southeast Asia. And the fifth, MERS cases increase in significant number in United Arab Emirates (UAE), a home of many Indonesian migrant workers. 

Meanwhile, Director General of Hajj and Umrah of Ministry of Religious Affairs, Anggito Abimanyu, confirmed the latest victim of MERS with initial's name NA, was not umrah pilgrim. Yet, he emphasized that his office had warned umrah travel agencies on the infectious cases. 

"We have sent warning to umrah travel agencies far earlier to be alert on MERS risk," Abimanyu said. 

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika