Health officials in Qatar have reported an additional Middle East Respiratory syndrome (MERS) case in 2017 in a 25-year-old patient, according to a news release (computer translated).
This is the second case reported in Qatar in less than a month and the 20th case since the coronavirus was first detected in 2012. Prior to the cases in the past month,the last case reported in Qatar was in June 2016.
The patient presented with symptoms of fever, cold, cough and body aches for several days when he went to the hospital. Laboratory testing confirmed it was the MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
The patient is hospitalized and in stable condition, according to the report. There is no history of underlying chronic illness or travel.
Of the 20 MERS cases reported in Qatar since 2012, seven resulted in death (35 percent CFR).
Globally, since September 2012, WHO has been notified of 1936 laboratory confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV including at least 690 related deaths.
