Two Fresh MERS Cases Reported
RIYADH: The Ministry of Health has announced the detection of two new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
The cases involve a 58-year-old in Jeddah and an 85-year-old in Al-Muznab.
“The patients are in stable condition and under treatment. Their ailment has been attributed to exposure to camel,” a report quoted the MoH as saying.
The report said that according to the latest tally, the number of recovered cases in the Kingdom rose to 732 and the number of infected, since the disease was detected, reached 1,287.
The disease was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and has since spread to several countries that include the United States. Symptoms of the disease include a fever more than 38°C, coughing and shortness of breath; some people vomit and have diarrhea.
The ministry advised citizens and residents to avoid exposure to camels. MERS-CoV had been found in camels in several countries.
In February 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that MERS-CoV was no longer a public health emergency. However, WHO, quoting the National IHR Focal Point for Saudi Arabia, reported three additional cases of MERS-CoV infection between Nov. 2 and Nov. 27, 2015.
A 47-year-old, non-national male from Al-Kharj City developed symptoms on Nov. 4 and was admitted to hospital in Riyadh on Nov. 11.
On Oct. 28, a 70-year-old male from Riyadh developed symptoms and was admitted to hospital on Oct. 30.
A 50-year-old woman from Afif city developed symptoms on Oct. 30 and was admitted to hospital the next day.
In March, the ministry’s command and control center announced that four more people had died of MERS-CoV, raising the total death toll to 400. All the victims were male, and three of them, all Saudis aged 91, 89 and 60, were from Riyadh. The fourth victim was a 45-year-old worker in the central city of Buraidah, according to a ministry bulletin.