Saturday, May 17, 2014



Health authorities in Saudi Arabia have reported three more fatalities from the MERS respiratory virus, taking the death toll in the world's worst-hit country to 163.

The health ministry website also revealed on Saturday that 520 cases have been recorded in the country since Middle East Respiratory Syndrome first appeared in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

It said three women died on Friday, including one in Riyadh, 48, and a 67-year-old in the western city of Taif.

A third woman died in Jeddah, the port city where a spate of cases among staff at King Fahd Hospital last month sparked public panic and the dismissal of its director and the health minister.

Other nations including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and the United States have also recorded cases, mostly in people who had been to the desert kingdom. 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Incubation for MERS to develop after transmission was reported to be two weeks (May 10th) . . .

NY Daily News: Third case of MERS confirmed in Illinois resident

The unnamed resident tested positive for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome after having contact with the first patient in Indiana, who contracted the virus while traveling in Saudi Arabia. The second case was reported in Florida, but is not linked to the other two

*****
The first two cases of MERS involved health care workers who contracted the disease while in Saudi Arabia. Both also reportedly were in the US visiting family. Both used commercial modes of transit, potentially exposing many travelers. Given the reported incubation period . . .the next several days may become very interesting.

Epaminondas said...

Shocked the Mossad hasn't been blamed