Omani patient leaves hospital free of Mers virus (UPDATED)

As expected, Thailand's first Mers patient, a 75-year-old Omani man, has been declared disease free and has left the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute in Nonthaburi and returned to Oman

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A 75-year-old Omani man who was Thailand's first Mers case sits on a wheelchair as he leaves the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute in Nonthaburi province July 3. PATTARAPONG CHATPATTARASILL

Hospital discharges only Mers case after Omani ruled virus-free

A 75-year-old Omani man who became Thailand's only case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome was declared free of the potentially deadly virus and given permission to travel again, officials said. Bangkok Post reporter  Paritta Wangkiat reports this morning that he returned to his native country last evening.

Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin told a press conference that the Omani had no fever for the past 15 days and has not needed oxygen supplies for the past five days. His condition, they said, had returned to normal.

The patient's last five laboratory tests for Mers also proved negative. The latest test occurred on Wednesday.

Friday morning story

The isolation unit like this one at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute inspected by Thailand's Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin several days ago won't be needed any longer for the 75-year-old Omani man who was diagnosed with Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) on June 18. The latest tests showed no sign of the disease. PRONPROM SATRABHAYA

Omani Mers patient 'fully recovered'

Fears of a Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) outbreak have eased after doctors yesterday declared the country's only patient, an Omani man, fully recovered.

The 75-year-old patient will be released from the isolation unit at the Public Health Ministry's Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute (BIDI) this afternoon after testing negative for the disease, Sopon Mekthon, director-general of the Department of Disease Control (DDC) said.

The Omani man was confirmed as the country's first Mers infection case on June 18.

Three of his family members, who were kept in quarantine for observation for 14 days, were also declared free of the disease and were released yesterday.

The department expects to close the case today. The other 154 people who came into contact with the patient during his journey to the country and after his arrival in Thailand were also cleared of the disease.

These people included fellow passengers, two taxi drivers, as well as hotel and hospital staff.

Aside from this case, a total of 138 other people have been quarantined for suspected Mers in Thailand — 73 of them travelled from South Korea and the rest from the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Bumrungrad International Hospital declared itself Mers-free after the DDC allowed several hospital employees under observation at the hospital to return home yesterday. They had initially treated the Omani patient when Mers was first diagnosed.

In a release yesterday, the hospital said it carried out strict protocols for isolating and preventing the spread of the disease to other staff or patients as soon as Mers was suspected.

The patient was promptly transferred to the BIDI for further treatment, the hospital said.

Bumrungrad also said it would continue to uphold strict safety measures for the safety of its patients, visitors, and employees.

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