Saudi- Riyadh hotbed of MERS reports 20 of 21 cases

(MENAFN- Arab News) RIYADH: Majority of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus cases last week were from Riyadh according to the latest report from the Ministry of Health( MoH) for a period of seven days ending Saturday.
Speaking to Arab News MoH spokesman Dr. Khalid Al-Mirghalani pointed out that 20 of the 21 cases diagnosed positive for the virus during this period were from the capital while the other was from Abha.
He said that the cases were detected out of 844 samples that were tested in the MoH laboratories in all parts of the Kingdom. He indicated that five of the positive cases are being treated at the MoH hospitals and the other 16 are being attended by government and non-government hospitals in the capital.
Since June 2012 the number of MERS cases in the Kingdom has reached 1092 which included 475 deaths 588 patients recovered from the illness and 29 patients currently taking treatment in the hospitals throughout the Kingdom.
Taking into account of the recent developments in Riyadh Al-Mirghalani said the Central Command Center (CCC) of the MOH has intensified its preventive measures in the Riyadh region.
Al-Mirghalani said that the CCC which functions on a round-the-clock basis will intensify its operations in the city in the light of the recent incidents. It will focus on both people and health care workers as well he added.
The CCC he said carries out epidemiological surveillance in accordance with the global standards set out by the World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the fight against the virus.
The ministry also continue its efforts and fully coordinated with the Ministry of Agriculture to carry out awareness campaigns Corona virus in camels gathering places and contacts from her owners and breeders to be cautious and taking the causes of prevention when dealing with camels.
The ministry confirmed that it will keep preparations as they are and that efforts must continue the cooperation of all parties especially the cooperation of community health workers who are basically representing the main pillar in the face of the disease.
Based on the current situation and available information WHO encourages all Member States to continue their surveillance for acute respiratory infections and to carefully review any unusual patterns.
Infection prevention and control measures are critical to prevent the possible spread of MERS-CoV in health care facilities. It is not always possible to identify patients with MERS-CoV early because like other respiratory infections the early symptoms of MERS-CoV are non-specific. Therefore health-care workers should always apply standard precautions consistently with all patients regardless of their diagnosis.