Najran Man Dies of MERS; Two New Cases
Particles of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus that emerged in 2012 are seen in an undated colorized transmission electron micrograph from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). (Reuters)
A 61-year-old Saudi man from Najran died of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) corona virus on Saturday, while two others were found to have been infected. This has brought the total number of cases to 987 in the Kingdom.
Two two men who tested positive are aged 48 and 75 and are residents of Taif and Abqaiq in the Eastern Province, a spokesman from the Ministry of Health said, adding that no new cases were reported on Sunday.
The total number of deaths since June 2012 was 430 and the total recovery cases 552.
The disease has, however, been brought under control through persistent measures adopted by the ministry, the official said.
The ministry will continue to exercise maximum precautions to see that people are prevented from contracting the disease, he said.
The ministry has opened a 24-hour hotline: 937 to help the members of the public on any matters related to MERS. The official said the caller will be assured of his privacy and the authorities would offer services as required through this line.
The official explained that 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, he said the ministry has assigned 20 more well-equipped hospital in all the health regions to look after MERS casualties.
According to the World Health Organisation, (WHO), the full picture on the source of the virus is not yet clear. Strains of MERS that match human strains have been isolated from camels in Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.