After the Friday meeting of the Operational Corps, Chief Medical Officer Cecília Müller said disease control investigations and contact searches had been launched in the case of all four infected foreigners.

Regarding the first patient, an Iranian student of Semmelweis University, she said he had arrived in Hungary on 22 February, and before that he and his girlfriend had spent almost a month in Iran. Other university students, the participants of a birthday party, passengers travelling on the flight from Tehran and those attending a German language course together with the student may have come into contact with them. Also with regard to the incubation period, disease control investigations are under way in relation to 35 persons.

The other Iranian student studying at the Szent István University arrived in Hungary on 28 February, he observed the university’s request and did not go to the university premises. Therefore, only his wife can be regarded as a close contact person; however, her test came out negative.

The third patient is a British man who lives in Debrecen and often travels to Milan. In his case, the Chief Medical Officer cited the wife and mother-in-law as contact persons.

The fourth patient, the first Iranian student’s girlfriend was found after the contact search; her test, too, came out positive.

In answer to a question regarding the basis on which they decide on the measures to be taken, she said a criterion is that a person must be in close contact with the infected patient both in time and in space, meaning that they test the contact person if he or she spent a longer period of time in close proximity, in the same room with the patient.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)