DENPASAR ~

Bali’s Public Health Office (PHO) has strengthened monitoring measures to prevent the spread of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

PHO personnel watch out for foreigners arriving from countries plagued by the deadly disease.

“We have taken preventive measures to keep an eye out for (indications of) the disease, especially at Ngurah Rai International Airport where passengers arrive from countries with recorded cases,” Head of the Bali PHO Dr. Ketut Suarjaya said here on Thursday.

The monitoring efforts are carried out in areas around the airport, as foreign nationals traveling to the island may have possibly contracted the infection.

Moreover, Suarjaya pointed out that other steps can be taken to prevent the transmission of MERS, such as maintaining a hygienic and healthy lifestyle and avoiding direct contact with camels while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

“Umrah pilgrims returning from the Holy Land must have a health checkup,” he emphasized.

Suarjaya further noted that the Bali PHO, along with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Haji Indonesia, is routinely conducting these efforts before allowing Umrah pilgrims to leave for the Holy Land, to prevent the spread of MERS.

In addition, the Department of Health is also administering the meningo encepalitis vaccination to Umrah pilgrims traveling to Mecca. It is also handing out health cards to those who return to Indonesia with any illness.

“To be able to go to the Holy Land, pilgrims’ must be healthy enough to be eligible for departure and must also conduct health checkups after returning,” he stated.

Both institutions will continue to monitor Umrah pilgrims returning from Mecca to keep tabs on their health conditions.

He also urged people to check into healthcare facilities on their return if they experience any symptoms of MERS.

Meanwhile the management of Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport is making optimum use of a body temperature detector to prevent the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) from spreading.

“We make the best use of the detector as many airlines fly directly to Bali from a few countries plagued by the disease,” General Manager of Angkasa Pura of I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport Trikora Harjo said here on Thursday.

He added that the detector was operated by health officers of the airport at the international arrivals terminal.

According to Harjo, the detector is activated when there is a new airline arriving from any of the countries where cases of MERS-CoV were reported, such as South Korea and several Middle Eastern countries, among others.

“The detector is activated when there are airlines arriving from South Korea and Arab countries,” Harjo affirmed, adding that so far, no passengers arrived at the airport infected with the virus.

MERS-CoV was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and has now infected a number of patients in South Korea.

It is a disease caused by a coronavirus that attacks the respiratory tract. Its symptoms include fever, acute cough, and shortness of breath.

According to the Central Statistical Agency of Bali, 62,817 tourists visited the province from South Korea in the January to May period this year. It constitutes the fifth-highest number of tourist arrivals to Bali.

The number jumped nearly 12 percent as compared to that in the same period last year, when it was recorded at 56,120.