UAE Reports MERS Death

(MENAFN- Arab Times) The Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD) announced Thursday the death of 65 year-old man after contracting Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). In a press statement carried by the official news agency (WAM), it also confirmed a second case with the virus. The patient is in a stable condition and under supervision.

The case is expected to recover and leave the hospital soon, the statement stressed. The HAAD in coordination with the Ministry of Health and other medical authorities nationwide have taken all necessary measures as per international standards and recommendations from the World Health Organization, WHO, such as active investigation and isolation.

The MOH confirmed that its epidemic investigation centres in emirates are working 24 hours to receive any earlier reports of Coronavirus cases and monitoring the situation closely to ensure the health and safety of everyone. South Korea said Friday that the MERS outbreak that has killed 24 people appears to have begun subsiding, as it reported one new case - the lowest rate of new infections in two weeks.

This brought to 166 the total number of confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in the country since the first was confirmed on May 20 in what is the largest outbreak outside Saudi Arabia. The number of people in quarantine had fallen 12 percent from Thursday to 5,930, a day after Thailand reported Southeast Asia's first case of the deadly virus since the disease was confirmed in South Korea. The government of President Park Geun-Hye has come under attack for its inadequate initial response but World Health Organization (WHO) chief Margaret Chan expressed guarded optimism Thursday over South Korea's ability to contain the outbreak.

Optimism She said Seoul was now "on a very good footing" after an initially slow response. A rural village, which had been sealed off for quarantine, was opened up Friday, allowing its population of 102 people to resume normal activities. "Apparently, the outbreak has started subsiding," a health ministry official in Seoul said. "But we have to wait and see whether more cases occur" in hospitals exposed to the virus, he added. The latest case involved a 62-year-old man who contracted the virus while caring for an infected family member at Samsung Medical Centre in Seoul, the epicentre of the outbreak that has been linked to about half of all confirmed cases. The hospital suspended services to non-MERS sufferers on Sunday, with other patients being moved to different medical facilities, and will remain closed for other treatment at least until Wednesday next week. Currently 112 patients are in the hospital, while 30 people who have recovered have been released. Jangdeok Village in Sunchang County south of Seoul was back to normal after road blocks were lifted Friday, two weeks after a 72-year-old resident there was diagnosed with the virus. "This is good. I felt like I had been a prisoner for a long time", Park Yoo- Hyun, a 72-year-old farmer, was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency. A second village under quarantine is expected to follow suit on Monday, barring any new cases there.