Saudi Arabia reports asymptomatic MERS cluster

Lisa Schnirring | News Editor | CIDRAP News
MERS-CoV
Healthcare contact
Healthcare contact

saiyood / iStock

Saudi Arabia today reported five new MERS-CoV cases in Riyadh that involve asymptomatic infections from healthcare or household contact.

The spike in MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) activity follows several weeks of just a slow trickle of cases, many of them primary ones.

A statement from the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) gave few details about the connections among the Riyadh cases, but yesterday the agency reported a primary infection in a 49-year-old woman from the city who is hospitalized in critical condition. Another recent case in Riyadh was reported on Jun 3 and involved an 85-year-old Saudi woman who developed symptoms after primary exposure to the virus.

Two of the cases announced today involve healthcare workers, both of them foreign women, ages 55 and 57. The MOH said their infections represent secondary healthcare-related exposure.

The other three patients had household contact exposure to the virus. They are a 31-year-old foreign woman, a 20-year-old Saudi woman, and a 58-year-old Saudi man.

Saudi Arabia's newly reported cases boost its total number of MERS-CoV infections to 1,393, which includes 593 deaths. Ten people are currently being treated for their illnesses, the MOH said.

See also:

Jun 16 Saudi MOH statement

Jun 15 Saudi MOH statement

Jun 3 Saudi MOH statement

Jun 15 CIDRAP News story "MERS sickens 2 Saudis as study reveals new recombinant clade"

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