Manila: Overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East, has been warned anew by their government to be on the watch for the deadly MERS-Corona Virus amid reports of four new cases involving Filipino health workers.

“Observing health protocols must already be a way of life for our OFWs (Overseas Filipino workers). Pandemics can surface in any part of the world, and so I enjoin our OFWs to take care and be always mindful of their health and well-being,” Labour Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said.

It was recently reported that four Filipinos who are all employed as nurses in Saudi Arabia have been confined at a hospital in the Kingdom after showing signs that they are afflicted with the deadly virus-caused ailment.

According to an earlier statement by Department of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Charles Jose, three of the Mers-CoV cases are females with ages 29, 32, and 50, while the fourth is a 55-year-old male.

“The four are all confined in the same hospital and are being provided with the best medical care available,” Jose said.

Mers-Cov stands for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), “Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.”

Typical symptoms of MERS “include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Pneumonia is common, but not always present. Gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhoea, have also been reported,” according to WHO.

Aside from being highly infectious, MERS is also lethal to humans. “About 36 per cent of reported patients with MERS have died,” the WHO adds.

The main agency in the Philippines government that is looking after the issue is the Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) which Baldoz heads.

Baldoz said she has instructed Philippine Overseas Employment Administration chief, Hans Leo Cacdac to observe and implement protocols necessary to prevent the entry of the virus into the Philippines.

“Let us diligently follow the POEA advisory. I urge OFWs, especially those in the Middle East countries, to observe the safety and protection measures,” Baldoz said.

Reiterating the countermeasures issued by the Department of Health, the POEA advisory enjoined Filipinos in the Middle East to strictly follow health and sanitary guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus.