The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 14 new cases of MERS-CoV infection in recent days, at least 10 of which are tied to an unnamed hospital or hospitals in Riyadh.
At least 2 Riyadh cases fatal
On Jun 2 the MOH said three expatriate healthcare workers in Riyadh had acquired MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). All patients were women who were asymptomatic and are currently in stable condition.
On Jun 3, three more cases in Riyadh were reported, including two fatalities. A 65-year-old expatriate man who acquired the virus as a patient in the hospital died, as did a 24-year-old expatriate man who had primary contact with camels. It's not known at this time if the patient exposed to camels was hospitalized at the time of his death.
Another patient, a 46-year-old Saudi, is listed in critical condition. The source of his infection is still under investigation.
A hospital patient and a healthcare worker in Riyadh were diagnosed yesterday. The hospital patient is a 46-year-old expatriate man in stable condition. He was asymptomatic. The healthcare worker is a 27-year-old Saudi man. He, too, is in stable condition.
Finally, today the MOH reported four more MERS cases linked to a Riyadh hospital. Two male expatriates, 27 and 29 years old, have acquired the virus as hospital patients. The 27-year-old is in critical condition.
A 66-year-old Saudi woman has also been diagnosed as having MERS. She is a household contact of previously announced case. And a 32-year-old female expatriate healthcare worker is listed in stable condition.
In 2015, the King Abdulaziz Medical City hospital complex in Riyadh had an outbreak of 130 confirmed cases. Last summer, at least 49 patients and healthcare workers were exposed to the virus during an outbreak at King Khalid University Hospital, also in Riyadh.
Hospital-acquired infections have been common with MERS, which was first detected in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
Cases in Jeddah, Medina
One of the two other cases reported by the MOH involve a 51-year-old Saudi man who contracted the virus after visiting a patient in a hospital. He is in stable condition. And a 73-year-old Saudi man from Medina is also in stable condition; he had direct contact with camels.
The MOH reported the two non-Riyadh cases on Jun 2 and yesterday, respectively
The latest cases raises Saudi Arabia's total number of MERS-CoV illnesses to 1,625, which includes 671 deaths. Seven people are still being treated for their infections.
See also:
Jun 2 Saudi MOH report
Jun 3 Saudi MOH report
Jun 4 Saudi MOH report
Jun 5 Saudi MOH report
Feb 19, 2016, CIDRAP News story "Saudi Arabia confirms MERS case as report details 2015 outbreak"
Jun 21, 2016, CIDRAP News story "WHO details Riyadh hospital MERS outbreak as new UAE, Saudi cases noted"
