(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MoAF) has said that Oman has recorded only two deaths from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) till May 16 this year.
Presentations made on the first day of the Regional Technical Consultation Meeting on MERS-CoV organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and MoAF showed that 621 cases have been reported worldwide.
Presenting a paper on the situation in Oman, Dr Abdul Majeed al Rawahi, director of Animal Health Research Center said, '' If we pay a cursory glance at the available figures on Middle East, about 511 cases have been reported in Saudi Arabia out of which 160 patients died. In UAE, out of total 67 MERS cases only nine death cases have been reported.
Similarly, in Jordan of the seven cases reported, there were four deaths. In Kuwait, three cases came to light and there was one death. Egypt, Yemen and Lebanon reported one case each. Only Yemen reported a death.''
So far, all cases worldwide have been linked to countries in the Middle East. This virus is transmitted from infected people to their caregivers and those in close contact with them. However, there is no evidence of sustained spreading in community settings.
Dr Rawahi also said that as per figures, the percentage of fatal cases in Middle East is 30.1 while it is 41.7 per cent in European Union countries. The percentage in Asian countries is 50 while that in Africa is 33.3. The US is still monitoring the situation.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a US government agency continues to closely monitor the MERS situation globally and work with partners to better understand the risks of this virus, including the source, how it spreads, and how infections might be prevented.
On May 2 this year, the first US imported case of MERS was confirmed in a traveller from Saudi Arabia.
On May 11, a second imported case was confirmed in a traveller who also came from Saudi Arabia. The two US cases are not linked
On May 16, an Illinois resident who had contact with the first case of MERS in the US tested positive.
MERS-CoV cases in Middle East
COUNTRIES CASES DEAT
HS
S Arabia 511 160
UAE 67 9
Jordan 7 4
Qatar 6 3
Oman 2 2
Kuwait 3 1
Egypt 1 0
Lebanon 1 0
Yemen 1 1
TOTAL 599 180
(Source: MoAF; Till May 16, 2014)
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