MERS Infection Most Virulent in Ramadan

Image Caption: A hospital employee wears a mouth and nose mask as he leaves a local hospital’s emergency department, in this April 22, 2014 file photo, in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah. (AFP)

MOHAMMED RASOOLDEEN

RIYADH: A total of 192 people, including 131 men, were infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the last Islamic year, which ended Saturday. The rates of infection were the highest in Ramadan, when 47 patients were being treated for the infection in one single health facility at the same time.

Since July 2012, 1,457 patients have been affected by the disease across the Kingdom. This has resulted in 611 deaths and 844 recoveries, with two patients currently receiving treatment.

There are three major hospitals in Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah that have been designated as centers of excellence to treat MERS patients. In addition to these facilities, the ministry has assigned 20 well-equipped hospitals across all health regions to treat MERS patients.

Shin Young-soo, WHO’s regional director for the Western Pacific, urged all countries to be on the lookout for any new cases of MERS through an early detection and rapid response system. He noted that healthcare workers should continue to practice stringent infection prevention and control measures when treating patients to protect themselves and others. This includes handwashing before and after consultation with each patient and wearing a medical mask, eye protection, gown and gloves when treating probable or confirmed MERS cases. Healthcare workers should also record the travel history of people showing symptoms of MERS.

The outbreak, which began in May 2015 through the spreading of a single case through a traveler from the Middle East, has remained confined to healthcare facilities. There has been no evidence of airborne transmission and sustained human-to-human transmission in any community.

(Source: ArabNews.com)