Saudi Arabia announces jump in new cases of deadly MERS virus

[bohica]

Bohi's comments: For a country who exports its people, we need to be really concerned.  Based from experience, simulations relating to pandemic are the most difficult to solve.  Mga Ka-PT na nasa abroad, stay safe.

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By ANGUS MCDOWALL, Reuters
April 21, 2014 12:49am

RIYADH - Saudi Arabia confirmed 20 new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) on Saturday and Sunday, adding up to 49 infections in six days, a sudden increase of a disease that kills about a third of the people infected and has no cure.

MERS, a SARS-like novel coronavirus that emerged in Saudi Arabia two years ago, has infected 244 people in the kingdom, of whom 76 have died, the Health Ministry said on its website.

However, Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabia on Sunday told reporters there was no scientific evidence yet to justify ordering additional preventative measures such as travel restrictions.

He said he did not know why there had been a surge of cases in Jeddah but said it might be part of a seasonal pattern since there was also a big rise in infections last April and May.

Another cluster of cases has been detected in the United Arab Emirates and a Malaysian who was recently in the Gulf has been confirmed as infected, his country said.

MERS has no vaccine or anti-viral treatment, but international and Saudi health authorities say the disease, which originated in camels, does not transmit easily between people and may simply die out.

Health experts have warned, however, that MERS has the potential to mutate eventually.

The number of officially confirmed Saudi cases has jumped suddenly over the past two weeks.

Saudi authorities last week issued several statements aimed at reassuring the public that there was no immediate cause for concern at the latest outbreak and that it had not met international definitions of an epidemic.

Rabia said the ministry had invited five European and North American companies to work with it in developing a vaccine and that some of the companies would soon visit the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, is expected to receive a surge of pilgrims in July during the faith's annual fasting month of Ramadan, followed by millions more in early October for the Haj.

New infections

Last week Malaysian health authorities said a Malaysian citizen had been confirmed as having the disease after he returned from pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Rumours of unreported cases have circulated on Saudi social media feeds in recent weeks. Last week, the kingdom's cabinet asked Saudi news organisations to report only those cases that are officially confirmed by the Health Ministry.

Most of the new infections are in Saudi Arabia's port city of Jeddah, where 37 people have been infected since Monday, seven of them fatally. Another 10 new cases, one of them fatal so far, were discovered in the capital Riyadh. There were also new cases confirmed in Najran Province and the city of Medina.

Last week, another cluster of cases was discovered in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, and Yemen reported its first case.

Separately, the UAE state news agency WAM said late on Saturday that it had recorded 12 new cases of coronavirus infections that were discovered during "routine checks" on people who had come into contact with infected individuals.

WAM quoted the health authority as saying that the patients were being kept in hospital and "did not pose a danger to the public or to patients". It expected the patients to be rid of the MERS virus within 10 to 14 days. — Reuters

[jamesbond]

 sa mga ka-PT natin dyan sa Saudi, please take proper precautions... stay safe always and we love you all...

[2lisan]

sana nga ay wag na lumala pa pagkalat ng MERS na yan.

maraming salamat po sir bohica and jamesbond.

from Dammam Saudi Arabia.

[Cathrina]

Dapat i isolate nila yong mga nainfection na para nde magspread and need some precautions baka airborne den ito so mas madaling magspread..

[jamesbond]

Dapat i isolate nila yong mga nainfection na para nde magspread and need some precautions baka airborne den ito so mas madaling magspread..

eyun pala... tsk... Baka airborne nga itong MERS... Haysssss.... ingat pala lagi ang kailangan talaga, uhmmm.... do i have to take some vitamins to combat this one? I mean para lumakas ang immune system ko? ano masasabi mo po miss Cath?

[Cathrina]

eyun pala... tsk... Baka airborne nga itong MERS... Haysssss.... ingat pala lagi ang kailangan talaga, uhmmm.... do i have to take some vitamins to combat this one? I mean para lumakas ang immune system ko? ano masasabi mo po miss Cath?

Well,taking vitamins is always good idea sir james basta alam mo kung anong vitamins ang needed sa katawan mo..at advantage den kung may strong immune system ka para nde madali magkasakit..pero sabi nga ng ibang mga health professionals na may mga virus na kahit malakas immune system ng isang tao mainfected pa rin..so what my thinking about what they say is:kinda screwed up either slow or strong immune system if the virus like to stay and be active in your body you got it.. its just a matter of time and luck..tulad ko last month first time nagka pneumonia even tho i i been taking multivitamins but i was wore out that time lageng ot sa work minsan double time pa kulang sa tulog at have no time to eat,so i told them i had no doubt why kasi mahina katawan ko..denial lang den siguro ako..

[icarus]

last thursday may isa kaming kasamahan na technical trainor dito sa company na 2 weeks ng nasa sulaiman al habeeb (al rayyan) hospital (isa sa pinakamodernong hospital dito sa saudi) at ang findings ng doktor ay (UNKNOWN FEVER) kaya nagpasya yung tao na umuwi na lang sa kanila sa India para dun magpagamot. then yung nga, nung thursday night na flight nya ay hindi sya pinayagan ng airport authority na makalabas ng bansa dahil nga sa sitwasyon nya.

hindi ako makapagcomment sa nangyayari sa ibang company or sa talagang nangyayari dito sa kingdom dahil hindi naman ganun karami ang tv station at thru TFC lang madalas na nakakakuha ng balita or dun sa newspaper. but yung isang branch ng company along Rawdah ay puro naka face mask na yung employee.

[IORI™]

Nakaka alarma na talaga dito utol icarus .. nung nag punta kami sa ballad halos lahat naka face mask na .. ganun din sa lugar namin may mga naka face mask .. iba yun dating talaga nitong virus na to ..

sent via bulalo coffee shop ..

[icarus]

Nakaka alarma na talaga dito utol icarus .. nung nag punta kami sa ballad halos lahat naka face mask na .. ganun din sa lugar namin may mga naka face mask .. iba yun dating talaga nitong virus na to ..

sent via bulalo coffee shop ..

oo talagang nakakaalarma, itong nakaraan araw ay nagsand storm, kaya yung aking magic ilong ay para na naman geiger counter. hayun, bahin ako ng bahin, tapos suot ako ng mask, kaso wala talaga, umatake na allergy ko kaya yung mga nakikipagkamay sa akin tinitingnan ko lang sabay sabi, hindi naman sa ayokong makipagkamay sa inyo, pero sa ngayon umatake ang allergy ko at di ako sure kung may virus na ko, kayo kung gusto nyo makipagkamay, ok lang sa akin hehehhehe