The number of MERS-CoV infections in an outbreak centered in Saudi Arabia's capital continued a brisk rise today, with four new cases reported, three of them in individuals who had contact with a suspected or confirmed case.
In announcing the cases today, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) has reported 32 infections from Riyadh since Aug 1 in an outbreak that appears to be mostly linked to the hospital setting.
None of the patients listed in today's update are healthcare workers, though several of them have been sickened in the Riyadh outbreak, a pattern also common in other hospital-linked outbreaks, such as the recent MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) event in South Korea.
One of the patients is a 2-year-old boy who is hospitalized in stable condition. The MOH said an investigation revealed he had contact with a suspected or confirmed MERS-CoV case. Few children have been reported in recent outbreaks.
The three other patients are all adults, a 28-year-old Saudi woman, a 47-year-old foreign woman, and a 57-year-old Saudi man. All have symptoms and are hospitalized in stable condition. The man is the only one of the four patients announced today whose source of infection remains unclear.
One more death was reported in a previously announced case, that of a 78-year-old Saudi woman who had underlying medical conditions.
Twenty-five people are still being treated for their infections, and three are on home isolation, the MOH said. Since the disease emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012, 588 people have recovered.
The latest illnesses and deaths boost Saudi Arabia's totals from MERS-CoV to 1,091 and 475, respectively.
See also:
Aug 14 Saudi MOH statement
