The National IHR Focal Point in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the World Health Organization (WHO) recently confirmed four new Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases, including two deaths from the disease.
One of the patients, a man who is 48 years old, is from Najran. His symptoms appeared on Dec. 10. He was hospitalized on Dec.15 and died three days later.
On Nov. 22, a 35-year-old woman from Buridah showed symptoms. Her hospitalization began Nov. 27 and she died on Dec. 5.
Another case involves a non-national, 41-year-old woman who lives in Buridah. Her symptoms developed on Dec.13, she was hospitalized on Dec. 14 and her condition is stable.
The fourth case is a 21-year-old woman who lives in Riyadh. On Nov. 25, she began to show symptoms. On Nov. 30, she was hospitalized and her condition is critical.
The WHO has received 1,625 notifications of laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV infections, with 586 of these cases resulting in deaths.
The WHO recommends that people avoid contact with camels as much as possible and seek medical attention as soon as they show MERS-CoV symptoms.
