ProMED: MERS-CoV - Eastern Mediterranean (08): Saudi Arabia, new case, fatal, RFI

[red bolding below is mine]
 
Published Date: 2013-05-22 17:25:49
Archive Number: 20130522.1731245

Date: Wed 22 May 2013
Source: Saudi Arabia - Ministry of Health [edited]
http://www.moh.gov.sa/en/Ministry/MediaCenter/News/Pages/News-2013-05-22-002.aspx


The Ministry of Health has announced a new death from novel coronavirus, a non-Saudi patient in the Al-Qaseem region. He was admitted to the hospital a few days ago because of acute pneumonia and died yesterday [Tue 21 May 2013].

The Ministry explained that most of the recorded cases until now, were in old patients and patients with chronic diseases.

The ministry confirmed that the Al-Ahsa governorate didn't record any new cases during the last 5 days.

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[Al Qaseem region is in the central part of Saudi Arabia. It can be found on the maps at http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qassim_Province and http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/saudi_arabia_pol_2003.pdf. It is not adjacent to the Eastern province where there has been an ongoing outbreak associated with nosocomial transmission.

This case raises the worldwide total of laboratory confirmed cases of MERS-CoV to 44 with 22 deaths (case fatality rate of 50 percent).

The report above is the 1st report of a foreign national hospitalized in Saudi Arabia for severe illness associated with MERS-CoV infection. The report does not give the national origin of the individual or whether the individual was a resident external worker or was just in Saudi Arabia as a short term visitor. Concern has been raised about possible "exportations" of the virus to countries not equipped to easily deal with identifying as well as treating/managing cases of MERS-CoV. Information on the age of the case as well as possible exposures (contact with animals, contact with other cases, travel to Eastern Province) would be greatly appreciated. - Mod.MPP

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail map can be accessed at: http://healthmap.org/r/6ZWk.]

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