Brief Hiatus : I’ll be away from my desk for the next 3 or 4 days, and while I’ll have my laptop with me, my blogging schedule is likely to be light and sporadic.
While I’m gone I’ll be keeping up with infectious disease news by visiting Crofsblog, Virology Down Under, and FluTrackers several times a day, and I would invite you to do the same.
# 7631
Qatar’s Supreme Council Of Health has posted an update on yesterday’s reported MERS-CoV fatality.
Although the SCH cites a total of three cases, this tally does not include two earlier cases that originated in Qatar during the fall of 2012, but were subsequently diagnosed outside the country (UK & Germany).
The three cases mentioned have all been reported in Qatar over the past two weeks. Although the SCH stated last week that the 29-year-old Qatari had an exposure to an earlier case, we’ve no official word on how this latest case acquired the infection.
SCH Reports One Death from MERS Coronavirus
Doha - Tuesday, 3 Sep 2013
The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) reported Tuesday a new confirmed Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus case, bringing the total cases to three.
The new case is for 56-year-old Qatari citizen who suffers from several chronic diseases and risk factors. She was admitted to intensive care unit at a hospital on 23 August and died on 31 August.
The second case is a 59-year-old Qatari citizen who felt the symptoms while abroad. Upon his arrival on 15 August he was checked up and diagnosed with the disease, but he recovered.
The third is a 29-year-old Qatari citizen who suffers from one chronic disease and several risk factors. He felt the symptoms on 17 August. He is in a critical condition and is receiving treatment in the intensive care unit.
This came in a statement released by SCH today. It said that all those who have exposure to the patients were tested in Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) laboratory and their diagnoses were negative, adding that a fact-finding team is monitoring and giving advice to all those who have exposure to the patients in accordance with World Health Organization recommendations.
The SCH emphasized that surveillance and monitoring procedures are always tightening up and infection control for all cases of acute respiratory infections are also tightened up, stressing on continuing to check up all those who have exposure to confirmed cases in cooperation with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and other medical service providers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that there is no restrictions on travel and trading as well as check up for the travelers to and from the countries. In the meantime, WHO is highly recommending all the countries to strengthen the health awareness and surveillance of MERS Coronavirus.
