Another five patients have died from the deadly Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS) and eight people were infected only in the past 24 hours, the Saudi Health Ministry announced. The virus continues to spread beyond the country’s borders – the US health officials confirmed a second case in a Saudi resident visiting Florida.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health said in an update late on Monday another five people have died from the infection in the kingdom. Over the past 24 hours, health authorities confirmed eight new cases that add to the total number of 491 MERS infections. The five who died were elderly people from the capital Riyadh and the western cities of Jeddah and Medina. The death toll in the kingdom has reached 147 since the virus was first detected in September 2012. As the disease quickly spreads in the country, officials said people who have contact with camels should wear protective masks and gloves to prevent possible infection. According to latest research papers, camels can be contracting the virus to humans, although previously, scientists assumed bats were the source of MERS. The Saudi’s Agriculture Ministry issued a statement, advising people who handle camels to wash their hands before and after contact, especially if it concerns births or sick and dead animals. Another recommendation includes eating only well-cooked camel meat and boiling the milk before consumption.
Amidst the MERS outbreak in the Arabic kingdom, health authorities keep discovering cases in other Middle Eastern countries, as well as in Europe and the United States. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Monday a second case of the disease was laboratory confirmed. The patient is a 44-year-old health-care worker who lives in Saudi Arabia and was visiting his family in the U.S. On May 1, he took a flight from Jeddah to London, then travelling to Boston, Atlanta and Orlando to see his family. On May 8, he was hospitalized and isolated at Dr. P. Phillips Hospital Orlando where he was diagnosed with the disease. Currently, the patient is stable and in a good condition, but health officials in the U.S. are concerned about over 500 people in 20 states he might have contact with. Authorities in the UK are also investigating and contacting people that may have been exposed.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization held a five-day mission to Saudi Arabia last week to assess the current situation and the possible risk of a larger outbreak. On Tuesday, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee will have a meeting in Geneva, where health experts will determine whether an elevation of the status of the MERS coronavirus is necessary. If its status is raised to a public health emergency of international concern, countries will start implementing special rules and regulations associated with prevention and control, surveillance and airport screenings, and rules for health-care facilities.
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