UAE’s Proximity to Saudi Arabia
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The World Health Organization has published a GAR (Global Alert & Response) update with three new cases from the UAE, which – based on FluTracker’s MERS Case Line Listing - brings the number of cases reported out of the United Arab Emirates over the past 60 days to roughly 48.
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – update
Disease Outbreak News
23 May 2014 - On 21 May 2014, the National IHR Focal Point of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported 3 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Details of the patients are as follows:
- A 71 year-old male in Abu Dhabi. He was admitted to hospital on 11 February 2014 and is known to have several comorbidities. On 4 May, he developed fever and on 7 May tested positive for MERS-CoV by PCR. Currently, he is in a stable condition. He had contact with a previously confirmed case in the hospital: a health-care worker (a 39 year-old female) reported to WHO on the 11 May 2014. He has no history of contact with animals and no history of consumption of raw camel products.
- A 26 year-old male in Abu Dhabi. He was detected through general screening at his workplace on 7 May without any history of contact to a laboratory confirmed MERS-CoV case. He tested positive for MERS-CoV by PCR on 8 May 2014. While asymptomatic at the time of screening, the investigation revealed that he had mild cough on 1 May 2014. He has no comorbidities and no travel history. He had contact with animals (cows and sheep but not camels), but has no history of consumption of raw camel products. He was admitted to hospital for isolation on 8 May and discharged on 14 May.
- A 36 year-old male from Abu Dhabi. He developed symptoms, including fever and mild breathing difficulty, on 2 May and was seen in an outpatient service on 4 May. His condition deteriorated and he was admitted to hospital on 7 May with high grade fever and developed breathing difficulty. On 9 May, he tested positive for MERS-CoV by PCR. He recovered and was discharged on 12 May. He is known to have comorbidities, but reported no contact with a laboratory confirmed MERS-CoV case and has no travel history. He also has no contact with animals and no history of consumption of raw camel products.
Contact investigations are ongoing and further information will be communicated when available.
Globally, 635 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV have officially been reported to WHO, including 193 deaths. This global total includes all of the cases reported in this update, plus 17 laboratory confirmed cases officially reported to WHO by Saudi Arabia between 16 and 18 May. WHO is working closely with Saudi Arabia for additional information on these cases and will provide further updates as soon as possible.
