Saudi Arabia has confirmed 26 more cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) a day after Egypt registered its first incidence of the deadly SARS-like coronavirus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern about the growing numbers.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia announced that it had discovered 14 more cases, meaning the total number of infected patients then stood at 313. On Sunday the country confirmed a further 26 cases, bringing the number to 323.
On Sunday, eight more deaths were reported. One-hundred-and-two
of all MERS cases in the country have so far been fatal. The
death rate for the illness stands at approximately 40 percent,
and since the beginning of April cases have spiked with a 65
percent jump – 143 cases have been announced this month alone.
On Saturday, a 27-year-old Egyptian man was discovered to have
contracted the disease. He had recently returned from Saudi
Arabia and is currently being treated at a Cairo hospital, and is
reportedly in a stable condition.
Shortly after the case was reported, a WHO spokesman stated that
it was “concerned” about the rising numbers of people
suffering from the disease.
Last Tuesday, it was reported that Greece’s first confirmed MERS
patient was in critical condition, according to doctors. The same
day, Saudi Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabiah was sacked shortly
after visiting a hospital in Jeddah – the main gateway to the
Islamic holy city of Mecca, in the country’s west – which he was
visiting in order to alleviate heightened public fear over the
virus. Many Saudis have been expressing heightened concern on
social media.
Three centers have now been set up by Saudi Arabia to deal with the outbreak of the disease.
“This step comes as part of an emergency plan aiming to contain the spread of the virus,” acting Health Minister Adel Faqih, said on Saturday, according to Saudi Press Agency.
The centers are reportedly located in the Prince Mohammed bin
Abdulaziz Hospital in Riyadh, King Abdullah Medical Complex in
Jeddah, and Dammam Medical Complex in the Eastern Province,
MERS is a SARS-like disease which kills approximately one-third
of people that become infected. There is currently no cure for
it.
While the illness is compared to SARS, it is still in the process
of being researched by experts. SARS exploded across Asia in
2003, infecting 8,273 people – nine percent of whom died. MERS is
thought to be deadlier but more difficult to transmit. A February
study suggested that camels are the major source of the disease,
although previous studies said that it originated in bats.