The outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Riyadh, Saidi Arabia has grown by nineteen cases since Monday, according to the Ministry of Health HERE and HERE.
In fact, Avian Flu Diary reports 55 MERS cases in the Saudi capital during the past 15 days.
The World Health Organization (WHO) today reported on 12 cases between the 10th and 12th of August, which ten of these are either linked to ER visits, or being hospitalized, at facilities where MERS cases were being treated.
Blogger, Mike Coston, who follows the MERS situation closely writes:
The pattern of nosocomial transmission in Riyadh is eerily similar to what we recently saw in South Korea, where direct contact with a known case isn’t necessarily required, only being housed or treated in a facility treating MERS cases.
The total number of cases of MERS reported in Saudi Arabia since June 2012 has grown to 1,115 and 480 deaths as of Aug. 18.
Globally, since September 2012, WHO has been notified of 1,413 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 502 related deaths.
Robert Herriman is a microbiologist and the Editor-in-Chief of Outbreak News Today
Follow @bactiman63
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