Saudi- Woman dies of MERS another infected

(MENAFN- Arab News) RIYADH: One of two women infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) died here in Riyadh while the other patient is being treated at a hospital in Al-Kharj some 60 km from the capital. Since June 2012 the Ministry of Health has reported 1056 MERS cases in the Kingdom which included 467 deaths 582 recoveries and seven patients currently receiving treatment in various hospitals.
The deceased was a 60-year-old Saudi woman who was infected with the virus in Riyadh. The person infected is a 44-year-old Saudi woman.
During the past two weeks an official from the Ministry of Health said that there has been a sharp drop in the number MERS infections in the Kingdom. Since July 15 there were only 10 patients who tested positive for the virus he added.
Health Ministry spokesman Khalid Al-Mirghalani said the drastic drop in the number of cases was due to the implementation of an integrated health plan to combat the disease. He said that the Ministry of Health deployed a rapid response team which immediately attends to cases and follows up on the detected cases to prevent recurrence.
He said the MoH carries out epidemiological surveillance on a round- the-clock basis and ensures the commitment of all public and private health facilities to apply infection control procedures as well as coordination with relevant government sectors.