WHO MERS-CoV Update – June 16th

Coronavirus – Credit CDC PHIL

 

 

# 8749

 

The World Health Organization has posted a refreshingly detailed report on two recent MERS cases in Saudi Arabia.   It will be interesting to see if this sort of detail continues to flow from the Saudi MOH.

 

 

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – update

Disease Outbreak News
16 June 2014

On 12 and 13 June 2014, the National IHR Focal Point of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 2 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

Details of the cases are as follow:

• A 36-year-old resident of Almakhwah city, Baha Region. The patient works as a truck driver. He became ill on 4 June 2014, was diagnosed with mild pneumonia and was admitted to a hospital on 9 June 2014. The patient is currently in a stable condition. He has underlying medical conditions. He was tested positive to MERS-CoV on 11 June 2014. The patient frequently commutes to Qunfudah city, Qunfudah Region and Wadi Addawaser city, Riyadh Region. The patient has no other travel history. He is reported to have possible contacts with animals as he delivers hay to a mixed animal market. He has no contact with a known laboratory confirmed MERS-CoV case.
• A 33-year-old man, resident of Qunfudah city, Qunfudah Region. He works as a national security guard. The patient is asymptomatic, and was detected through the screening of contacts of previously laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV cases (reported between 11 April – 9 June 2014). He has no underlying medical condition. He was tested positive to MERS-CoV on 13 June 2014. The patient has a history of frequent travel to Jeddah. He has no history of contact with animals.

Investigation of contacts of the patients and follow up is ongoing.

Additionally, Saudi Arabia has reported an additional 38 deaths among the laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV cases reported between 11 April – 9 June 2014.

Globally, 701 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 249 related deaths have officially been reported to WHO.