#10,073
After a remarkably quiet April and first part of May, MERS-CoV is back in the news this week, with recent cases spread from Saudi Arabia, to the UAE, to Iran on the Arabian peninsula to an imported case and cluster in South Korea.
From Qatar’s Supreme Council of Health today we get the following statement on what is their 3rd MERS case of 2015, involving a non-national working at a camel farm.
SCH Reports a New Case of MERS-CoV
- Publication Date: 21 May 2015
- Category: Primary News
SCH announces that MERS CoV infection has been confirmed in a 29 year old non-national working at a camel farm. This is the 3rd case in 2015 to be confirmed in Qatar.
The patient presented to a primary care health center on May 19th with symptoms of fever and cough for 5 days. The test results cam positive on May 20th2015 for MERS CoV and he was transferred to the hospital under strict Infection Prevention and Control measures. The patient has no co-morbidities or travel history during the incubation period of MERS CoV.
He is currently in stable condition and is receiving the appropriate treatment under strict infection prevention & control measures. A joint HP&CDC team with animal health is doing a detailed investigation of the other workers and camels at the barn where the case works. Health education messages about appropriate preventive measures were shared with all contacts and they were advised to comply with the recommended MERS-CoV preventive measures and to report to the health authorities on the development of any respiratory symptoms.
I believe this brings to 13 the number of cases reported by Qatar since the MERS virus was identified in 2012. Earlier reports include February's Qatar SCH Statement On New MERS Case and WHO: The DON Patrol from last March.
