Health Ministry denies viral message on Umrah pilgrim with MERS-CoV

KUALA LUMPUR: A message which went viral on social media about a Umrah pilgrim being treated for the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection is not true, according to Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
He said a laboratory test conducted on a sample belonging to the male patient tested negative for the disease.
"This irresponsible act of transmitting fake news has raised concerns among the public and is extremely regrettable," he said in a statement here today.
The message went viral on Twitter over the last three days after a woman, believed to be a family member of the patient, uploaded a status regarding the man who allegedly fainted upon arriving at KLIA upon his return from performing the Umrah.
Dr Noor Hisham said the Health Ministry was constantly monitoring the MERS-CoV infection, which was reported by the World Health Organisation (WHO), with the Health Ministry issuing a health advisory for pilgrims to take preventive measures against the disease during their stay in the Holy Land and after returning to Malaysia.

"From continuous monitoring since 2012, more than 3,000 people were found to have symptoms of having MERS-CoV symptoms. However, the results of the MERS-CoV test conducted on them were all negative, except for a case reported in April 2014 involving a man, in his 50s, who had just returned home from performing the umrah," he said.
For latest information on the disease, the public can surf the Health Ministry's website at http://www.moh.gov.my or via the National CPRC (National Crisis Preparedness Response Centre) Facebook page. — Bernama