# 7423
The Saudi Ministry of Health announced today (in Arabic) that 7 more people have tested positive for the MERS coronavirus. Based on the slightly syntax-challenged machine translation, six of these cases are apparently healthy and showing no outward signs of illness.
The 7th case is a 50 year-old from the Eastern region, reportedly stable, but suffering from pneumonia.
The MOH also reports the death of a previously announced case, a 32-year old who was being treated for cancer.
Four of these asymptomatic cases appear to be contacts of a previously confirmed case from Riyadh, and are described as being between the ages of 7 and 15.
The other two cases are not well described.
This is the second day in a row where asymptomatic cases in Saudi Arabia have been announced (see WHO: MERS-CoV Update – June 22nd), which suggests the Saudis are starting to test asymptomatic cases more rigorously.
Unknown right now is how well, or even if, subclinical cases are capable of transmitting the virus on to others. If asymptomatic carriage is largely a dead-end for the virus, then that would be very good news indeed.
But should some significant portion of subclinical cases remain contagious, that would make containing this virus more difficult.
Dr. Ian Mackay asks some good questions overnight in his Virology Down Under blog, about how the the Saudis are testing now – and previously - and what their definition of `weak positives’ is:
"Weak positives" in asymptomatic cases-questions.
As serological tests are validated, and retrospective testing of earlier MERS contacts can be completed, we should get a much better idea of the true incidence of subclinical MERS infection.
They may also tell us if this virus is largely an opportunistic one; producing more severe illness in those with specific co-morbidities.
For now, we still have far more questions than answers.
I’ll update this post with the English language version of today’s announcement from the KSA MOH when it becomes available.
* UPDATED *
23 June 2013
Within the framework of the epidemiological surveillance of the novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), the Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced that four cases of this virus have been recorded among people contacted the confirmed infected patients in Riyadh and the Eastern Region, ranging in age between 7 and 15. It is noteworthy that the disease symptoms were not shown in their cases and their health conditions are good.
Furthermore, MOH has announced that two cases of this virus have been recorded among female health workers in the Eastern Region and Al-Ahsa. Also, the disease symptoms were not shown in their cases. That is to be added to another 50-year- old female case has been recorded in the Eastern Region. Currently, She is hospitalized due to pulmonary disease but her health status is stable.
Thus, the total number of the confirmed cases, who didn’t show disease symptoms or had been completely recovered, 20 cases, May Allah be praised.
Within the same vein, MOH has announced the death of one case, aged 32, in the Eastern Region, who had been previously announced to be infected with this virus and had been suffering from Cancer, May Allah have mercy upon him.
