All three MERS cases were Riyadh men aged between 56 and 60.
New Delhi:
The Saudi Ministry of Health has informed the World Health Organization (WHO) of three human cases, including one death, of the deadly and highly contagious Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus between April 10 and 17.
All three cases were men from Riyadh, aged 56 to 60, with underlying health problems and were not healthcare workers, the WHO said in its bulletin.
The three cases are epidemiologically linked to exposures at a health facility in Riyadh, although investigations are ongoing to verify this and understand the route of transmission, the WHO said. Since the beginning of the year, a total of four cases and two deaths have been reported in Saudi Arabia. The reporting of these cases does not change the WHO’s overall risk assessment, which remains moderate at both global and regional levels.
MERS is a viral respiratory infection caused by the MERS coronavirus (CoV). Approximately 36 percent of MERS patients died, although this may be an overestimate of the true mortality rate, as mild cases of MERS-CoV may go undetected by existing surveillance systems, and the case fatality rate is calculated based on only on laboratory data. confirmed cases, the WHO said.
Humans become infected with MERS-CoV through direct or indirect contact with dromedary camels, which are the natural host and zoonotic source of the virus. MERS-CoV has demonstrated the ability to transmit between humans.
Until now, unsustained human-to-human transmission has occurred between close contacts and in healthcare settings. Outside of healthcare settings, human-to-human transmission has been limited to date, the WHO said.
No specific vaccine or treatment is currently available, although several MERS-CoV-specific vaccines and therapeutics are in development. Treatment is supportive and based on the patient’s clinical condition and symptoms.
From the first reported case of MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia in 2012 until April 2024, a total of 2,204 human cases and 860 deaths were reported. Overall, a total of 2,613 cases of MERS-CoV and 941 deaths were reported in 27 countries across all six WHO regions.
There was a large outbreak outside the Middle East, in South Korea, in May 2015. It was characterized as a healthcare-associated infection, during which there were 186 laboratory-confirmed cases (185 in South Korea and 1 in China) and 38 deaths. was reported; however, the index case (first patient) of this outbreak had a history of travel to the Middle East, the WHO said.
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