New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram/Riyadh: The Keralite nurse working in Saudi Arabia has not been tested positive for the Coronavirus, officials said.
A Reuters report quoted a statement from the Saudi health ministry and said the case mentioned in Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan's tweet was related to an infection with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and was being dealt with.
"The ministry has taken all the precautionary measures to deal with this global issue and is in close coordination with all concerned entities," the statement added. The affected nurse is being treated at the Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said on Thursday.
Muraleedharan said he had earlier spoken to the Indian Consulate in Jeddah on the Indian nurses quarantined at Al-Hayat Hospital, Khamis Mushait, due to the coronavirus threat.
"They are in touch with hospital management and Saudi foreign Ministry. Have asked our Consulate to provide all possible support," he said.
Earlier reports had said the nurse tested positive for the novel coronavirus when she and nearly 100 of her Indian colleagues were screened.
The nurse likely got infected when she was taking care of her Filipino colleague suffering from the disease. Though, rumours were rife that her colleague hailing from Kakkayam in Kozhikode had also contracted the disease while taking care of that patient, later it was confirmed through tests that she was not affected by the virus.
The nurse is reportedly from Ettumanoor in Kottayam district.
Screening at airports
The Union health ministry has rejected the chances of a major outbreak of the coronavirus in the country.
The ministry has said 12,828 passengers from 60 flights have been screened for novel coronavirus infection till January 22 but no positive case has been detected in the country so far. However, seven persons who reached Thrissur from China have been quarantined. One of them who has high fever has been admitted to the isolation ward.
Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan is reviewing the evolving scenario and the level of preparedness to address the challenge.
She has asked states and union territories to review hospital preparedness in terms of isolation and ventilator management of critically ill patients, identify gaps and strengthen core capacities in the area of surveillance and laboratory support, an official statement said.
Thermal screening is being done at the international airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin.
The civil aviation ministry has asked airlines to follow International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines for managing and notifying anybody reporting illness on flights originating from China and disembarking in India.
A travel advisory was issued on January 17 and put up on the ministry's website and also on the Twitter handle for wider circulation.
"Port and airport health organisations have been sensitised and thermal screening has been initiated at the international airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin airports," the statement said.
The Kerala Health Department has also issued a warning to all those who have reached the state during the last 14 days not to come in touch with others for the next 28 days.
WHO alert
The Coronavirus normally affects the respiratory system. Warning has been issued by the WHO because as there are chances of the disease spreading to other countries as in the case of MERS in 2012 and SARS in 2002.
Spread of the disease
Latest reports suggest that Coronavirus has spread to eight countries as of now. However, all the 17 deaths caused by the virus so far have been reported from China.
In 2019, at least 1,000 people had died of MERS as it spread to 37 countries.
Meanwhile, SARS was reported in 27 countries in Southeast Asia and as many as 900 people died of the disease.
With scientists confirming that the present Coronavirus can spread to another person through direct contact with an infected person caution is necessary.
Symptoms
Symptoms include respiratory problems, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, it can lead to pneumonia and SARS -- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
Likey sources of the virus
Snakes may be the original source of the newly discovered coronavirus in China.
Scientists investigating MERS had evidences pointing to camels as the source. SARS probably spread to humans via civets.
Available treatment
No vaccines or treatment has been developed for the virus yet. However, experiments for developing vaccines for the disease have begun in many countries.
Precautions
If any person exhibit symptoms of Coronavirus, the person should be admitted to a hospital with ventilator and ICU facilities. Hospital staff should take precautions to ensure that they are not infected by the patient. Isolation wards have already been established in Kozhikode and Kochi Medical Colleges for the treatment of the disease.
Wuhan sealed
The Chinese government has sealed Wuhan, the epicentre of the disease, and Huanggang, a nearby city in an unprecedented effort to curb the spread of the disease.
All public transportation, including buses, trains and flights have been suspended. Outbound channels at airports and railway stations have been closed until further notice. Shops and offices have also been shut down. People of these cities have been advised not to move out.
The two cities together has a population of over 1.85 crore. The railway station of Ezhou, a city with a population of over 1 crore, has also been closed.
Huanggang is in the easternmost Hubei Province of the vast communist country.
Olympics qualifiers postponed
The Asia and Oceania boxing and women's football qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics has been postponed due to fears over the coronavirus.
The matches were set to take place in China's Wuhan next month.
Boxing Federation of India has meanwhile conveyed that it was prepared to host the boxing qualifiers in the country if needed.
(With inputs from PTI)