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The World Health Organization has posted an update on the MERS coronavirus, with details on 5 recent cases (4 from Saudi Arabia, 1 from the UAE). The two cases from Jeddah are part of a much larger event (see Saudi MOH Statement On Jeddah Cluster) which has received considerable attention over the past couple of days, and additional case information is expected.
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – update
Disease Outbreak News
10 April 2014 - The Ministries of Health of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently announced additional laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
The 4 additional laboratory-confirmed cases reported to WHO by the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia on 28 March and 2 April 2014 include:
- A 26 year-old man from Jeddah. He became ill on 22 March, was hospitalised on 23 March, and died on 6 April.
- A 26 year-old man from Jeddah. He became ill on 16 March and has been hospitalised since 25 March.
- A 77 year-old woman from Riyadh region. She became ill on 25 March and is currently in a stable condition. She is not known to have a history of exposure to animals.
- A 59 year-old man from Riyadh region who became ill on 22 March, 2014. He is not known to have contact with animals or a known case.
The additional laboratory-confirmed case reported to WHO by the Ministry of Health of the UAE on 30 March includes:
- A 64 year-old man from Abu Dhabi with underlying medical conditions. He became ill on 21 March, was hospitalised on 25 March and died on 30 March. He had underlying medical conditions. He did not have contact with a previously laboratory-confirmed case, but has had exposure to animals. The patient visited a camel farm in Harb city in Saudi Arabia on 10 March and visited Nezwa city in Oman for a day on 20 March. He owned an animal farm in the UAE with poultry and sheep, but had no recent visit to the farm. Investigation into the family and health care contacts is ongoing.
Globally, from September 2012 to date, WHO has been informed of a total of 211 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 88 deaths.
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