Saudi Arabia has recorded another death
from the SARS-like virus which was first
discovered at the Arab kingdom. The death
of the man reported to have died of the
coronavirus MERS, now brings the
kingdom’s death toll from the virus to 42, health authorities said Wednesday, adding
that a new case was registered.
The 38-year-old man who died in the
eastern city of Hafr al-Baten had been
“suffering from a severe lung infection,”
the health ministry said on its website. It said that an expat in the western city of
Medina suffering from chronic kidney
failure was under intensive care after he
contracted the virus, which began in the
kingdom’s Eastern Province. Saudi Arabia is the country worst hit by
MERS, which has killed 47 people globally. The Saudi authorities say 84 people have
been infected, representing the majority of
those who contracted the virus worldwide. Experts are struggling to understand MERS
— Middle East Respiratory Syndrome — for
which there is still no vaccine and which has
an extremely high fatality rate of more than
51 percent. What can be regarded as
progress so far was a recent report that the virus has been traced to bats. This
scientists believe may go a long way in
developing a vaccine for the disease. MERS is considered a cousin of the SARS
virus that erupted in Asia in 2003 and
infected 8,273 people, nine percent of
whom died, although studies have shown
MERS is not as transmissible as SARS. MERS, like SARS is believed to be zoonotic,
and shares the SARS’s flu-like symptoms —
but differs by also causing kidney failure. As the MERS still lurks and new cases being
reported, millions of pilgrims from across
the globe are preparing for Hajj in October.
Although authorities have allayed fears
millions of pilgrims could be infected
before leaving the holy land, some pilgrims are still skeptical about performing Hajj in
2013.
from the SARS-like virus which was first
discovered at the Arab kingdom. The death
of the man reported to have died of the
coronavirus MERS, now brings the
kingdom’s death toll from the virus to 42, health authorities said Wednesday, adding
that a new case was registered.
The 38-year-old man who died in the
eastern city of Hafr al-Baten had been
“suffering from a severe lung infection,”
the health ministry said on its website. It said that an expat in the western city of
Medina suffering from chronic kidney
failure was under intensive care after he
contracted the virus, which began in the
kingdom’s Eastern Province. Saudi Arabia is the country worst hit by
MERS, which has killed 47 people globally. The Saudi authorities say 84 people have
been infected, representing the majority of
those who contracted the virus worldwide. Experts are struggling to understand MERS
— Middle East Respiratory Syndrome — for
which there is still no vaccine and which has
an extremely high fatality rate of more than
51 percent. What can be regarded as
progress so far was a recent report that the virus has been traced to bats. This
scientists believe may go a long way in
developing a vaccine for the disease. MERS is considered a cousin of the SARS
virus that erupted in Asia in 2003 and
infected 8,273 people, nine percent of
whom died, although studies have shown
MERS is not as transmissible as SARS. MERS, like SARS is believed to be zoonotic,
and shares the SARS’s flu-like symptoms —
but differs by also causing kidney failure. As the MERS still lurks and new cases being
reported, millions of pilgrims from across
the globe are preparing for Hajj in October.
Although authorities have allayed fears
millions of pilgrims could be infected
before leaving the holy land, some pilgrims are still skeptical about performing Hajj in
2013.
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