May 11, 2024 Three new cases of MERS-CoV coronavirus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

May 11, 2024

Ministry of Health (MOH) of the Kingdom Saudi Arabia notified three cases coronavirus Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV), including one death from April 10 to April 17. A total of four cases and two deaths have been reported since the beginning of the year.

From the first report of a MERS-CoV case in 2012 to April 21, 2024. 2204 human cases And 860 deaths. A total of 2613 cases of MERS-CoV and 941 deaths have been reported in 27 countries.

All three cases were reported in Riyadh and linked to the same medical center. The index case is a 56-year-old schoolteacher and Saudi national residing in Riyadh. On March 29, he developed a fever, cough, runny nose and body pain. On April 4, he sought medical attention at the emergency department of a Riyadh hospital, where patient number three was also being treated. After hospitalization on April 4, where he shared a ward with the second building. On April 6, he was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) for isolation and intubation, was tested for reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and was confirmed positive for MERS-CoV. The patient had comorbidities including hypertension and chronic renal failure that required hemodialysis. There was no clear history of exposure to typical MERS-CoV risk factors. Close contact tracing was carried out, including 20 health and care workers and seven family members, allowing two secondary cases to be quickly identified. The investigation, including identifying the source of contamination, is still ongoing. The index case died on April 7.

The second case involved a 60-year-old pensioner, a Saudi citizen living in Riyadh. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of the same hospital in Riyadh on March 8, 2024. On 31 March he was transferred to a ward, where he subsequently shared a ward with the main patient on 4 April. On April 6, the patient developed a fever, and on April 8, the test result for MERS-CoV was positive according to RT-PCR. Has health problems including heart disease and smoking. With no history of exposure to camels, this case is believed to be a secondary healthcare-associated case due to exposure to the index case and the investigation is ongoing. Follow-up was completed for 13 healthcare workers and one patient, with no additional cases identified to date.

The third case is a 60-year-old man, a retired military man and Saudi citizen living in Riyadh. On April 4, he went to the emergency department of the same hospital in Riyadh where the index case was also admitted. Then on April 5 he was placed in a ward (different from the one in which the index building and number two were located). On April 10, he developed breathing problems and was transferred to the intensive care unit on April 15. On the same day, he tested positive for MERS-CoV using RT-PCR. You have health problems, including chronic kidney failure requiring hemodialysis, cancer, and liver disease. There was no history of exposure to camels and, as with the second case, it is believed that this is a secondary healthcare-associated case due to exposure to the index case. 14 medical workers are under observation; no additional cases have been identified to date.

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