The Ministry of Public Health announced Wednesday that it has taken all necessary precautionary measures to cope with the new coronavirus which appeared in China and spread to several countries.

The Ministry of Public Health affirmed that it is continuously monitoring the epidemiological situation of the new coronavirus, indicating that no cases have been registered in the State of Qatar.

The National Committee for Epidemic Preparation in the Ministry of Public Health held a meeting attended by representatives from the Ministry, Hamad Medical Corporation and the Primary Health Care Corporation, as well as representatives from Hamad International Airport and the medical services of Qatar Airways.

The meeting discussed the latest developments in the issue, the mechanism of joint coordination among all parties and activating the necessary precautionary measures to prevent the transmission of infection by travelers coming to the State of Qatar.

The committee issued precautionary recommendations that included raising the alert level of monitoring system, and watching out the suspected cases at the local and global levels in coordination with the World Health Organization.

The Ministry of Public Health also issued national guidelines for dealing with new cases of coronavirus, with alerting all hospitals in the country to report any suspected respiratory infections, especially of travelers returning from the affected countries in a 14-day period of their arrival.

Investigative teams will make daily visits to hospitals to ensure that no one with symptoms that matches the WHO definition.

Meanwhile, the National Committee for Epidemiology approved the application of thermal examination at Hamad International Airport to all travelers coming from China.

Awareness will be raised among travelers about the symptoms of pneumonia, including high temperature, coughing and breathing difficulties.

The Ministry also advised against unnecessary travel to avoid cities where the virus is present in China, and to avoid close contact with animals in the affected areas and not to mix closely with people who show symptoms of respiratory infections, while continuing to wash hands with soap and water.

It is noteworthy that the technical reports that dealt with the clinical and epidemiological manifestations of the emerging virus indicate that it is similar to many coronaviruses that are transmitted from animal to human, as the severity of the disease ranges from mild to moderate symptoms in the majority of people with infection and symptoms and complications may develop in people with chronic diseases and immune deficiency to acute respiratory infection with possible death.

Rapid response team at the Ministry of Public Health operates around the clock. The teams hotline numbers are 66740948 and 66740951.

Source: Qatar News Agency

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