Saudi Arabia has announced eleven new cases of MERS infections. The new cases bring to 272 the total number of MERS infections, including 81 deaths, registered across the kingdom -- worst hit by the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome which was first detected in eastern Saudi Arabia in September 2012.
Most of the latest cases are in Riyadh and the commercial hub Jeddah, with one case in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, visited each year by millions of pilgrims from around the world.
Two Foreigners Die of MERS in Jeddah
Fear is rising over the spread of the dreaded respiratory virus as two foreigners have died of the MERS virus in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
Advertisement
Three of the new infections were of health workers, while a 13-year-old Saudi girl is among cases recorded in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.
A spike in MERS cases and public fears prompted the Gulf state to dismiss its health minister, Abdullah al-Rabiah, on Monday without an official explanation.
![Foreigner Dies of MERS in Saudi, Report Sources]( "Foreigner Dies of MERS in Saudi, Report Sources")
In the Saudi capital a foreigner has died after she contracted MERS, reports health ministry, bringing the nationwide death toll to 73.
Rabiah last week visited hospitals in Jeddah to calm a public hit by panic over the spread of the virus among medical staff that triggered the temporary closure of the city's King Fahd Hospital emergency room.
Labour Minister Adel Fakieh, who has taken over as acting health minister, said on Twitter late Tuesday that he had visited the Jeddah hospital.
Fakieh promised "transparency and to promptly provide the media and society with the information needed" on the virus.
At least four doctors at King Fahd Hospital reportedly resigned last week after refusing to treat MERS patients.
The virus is considered a deadlier but less-transmissible cousin of the SARS virus which erupted in Asia in 2003 and infected 8,273 people, nine percent of whom died.
Experts are still struggling to understand MERS, for which there is no known vaccine.
A recent study said the virus has been "extraordinarily common" in camels for at least 20 years, and it may have been passed directly from the animals to humans.
The World Health Organisation said on April 20 that it had been informed of 250 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS infection worldwide, of which 93 had been fatal.
Source: AFP
Foreigner Dies of MERS in Saudi, Report Sources
In the Saudi capital a foreigner has died after she contracted MERS, reports health ministry, bringing the nationwide death toll to 73.
Advertisement
Rabiah last week visited hospitals in Jeddah to calm a public hit by panic over the spread of the virus among medical staff that triggered the temporary closure of the city's King Fahd Hospital emergency room.
Labour Minister Adel Fakieh, who has taken over as acting health minister, said on Twitter late Tuesday that he had visited the Jeddah hospital.
Fakieh promised "transparency and to promptly provide the media and society with the information needed" on the virus.
At least four doctors at King Fahd Hospital reportedly resigned last week after refusing to treat MERS patients.
The virus is considered a deadlier but less-transmissible cousin of the SARS virus which erupted in Asia in 2003 and infected 8,273 people, nine percent of whom died.
Experts are still struggling to understand MERS, for which there is no known vaccine.
A recent study said the virus has been "extraordinarily common" in camels for at least 20 years, and it may have been passed directly from the animals to humans.
The World Health Organisation said on April 20 that it had been informed of 250 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS infection worldwide, of which 93 had been fatal.
Source: AFP
64 Villagers in Malaysia Quarantined Over MERS Virus
64 people in a village in Malaysia have been quarantined after one of the residents died of a respiratory illness.
Advertisement
 After UAE Nurse Scare of MERS, Philippines Boosts MERS MonitoringThe Philippines announced Saturday that it was stepping up its defenses against the MERS virus, as there are large numbers of Filipino workers in the Middle East, and are seen as potential carriers. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest General Health News
In India, youth must be aware of the diseases linked to cigarette smoking and tobacco consumption, causing a form of healthcare emergency.
Direct coastal access may represent a viable route to public health promotion, but the relationships of coastal living are not strongest among lower-income groups.
New research by Tinnitus UK has found that over four million gardeners are putting their hearing capacity at risk this summer without using safety protection.
Mucus plugs could be targeted to help reduce fatalities from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The development of reliable curative therapies for multiple sclerosis could significantly reduce the economic burden of the disease on patients and wider society.