Umrah Pilgrims Died In Plane, MERS-CoV Unrelated

Published: Sunday, May 18, 2014 7:11 PM

KUALA LUMPUR: An elderly woman died in a flight back from Umrah with my family last Friday.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said initial autopsy results, however, find 89-year-old woman was negative infections Respiratory Syndrome Virus Middle East Korona (MERS-CoV), but develop pneumonia.
He is said to have shortness of breath on a flight from Jeddah to Kuala Lumpur before died.
According to Dr Noor Hisham, the assembly of fever, cough and shortness of breath for three days while in the holy land and never get treatment while there.
"Family members also said he suffered from asthma, high blood pressure and heart disease as well as being in treatment before performing Umrah," he said in a statement Sunday.
He said he is awaiting final autopsy results to determine the exact cause of death of the woman.
"As a preventive measure all 107 passengers and 12 crew on board the aircraft along the woman underwent screening MERS-CoV," he said.
Three of them suffered mild fever, while another cough and four of them are given symptomatic treatment as well advised to follow-up if not cured within 14 days of the arrival date.
This is the second incident and congregations involved sindorm certified free of diseases that can be fatal.
Malaysia recorded the first death due to MERS-CoV on 13 April when 54-year-old man died following a severe pneumonia was infected with the virus.
The man who hails from Batu Pahat, Johor Umrah in March and complained of fever and difficulty in breathing for about 10 days after returning home and put into Hospital Sultanah Nora Ismail, Batu Pahat, Johor on April 10. http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mstar.com.my%2Fberita%2Fberita-semasa%2F2014%2F05%2F18%2Fumrah-meninggal%2F