‘MERS is active, requires full alert’

The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) is on the increase in Riyadh after an infected patient traveled from Taif to the capital last month, the Ministry of Health announced Thursday.
“MERS-CoV is active and we need to be on full alert,” said Anees Sindi, deputy commander of the Command and Control Center (CCC), adding that health care workers can reduce the risk of infection by continuing to take precautions to protect themselves and their patients.
The CCC is working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to investigate the Taif cluster that is associated with these cases.
The ministry continues to manage MERS-CoV cases associated with the cluster in Taif, including five confirmed cases in Riyadh that originated with a patient who traveled there last month from Taif.
A total of 338 deaths have been reported among 796 cases in the Kingdom since June 2012. While 440 made a full recovery, 18 are undergoing treatment in various parts of the Kingdom.
Four people, including patients and health care workers, tested positive for MERS-CoV after coming into contact with the index patient, who was admitted on Oct. 18 to Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Hospital in Riyadh.
Two of those patients later died. One recovered and was discharged, while another remains hospitalized at a MERS-CoV center.
The CCC identified the cases through its disease surveillance system and dispatched a rapid-response team to assess infection prevention and control procedures at the hospital.
In addition to conducting inspections, the ministry identified patients and health care workers who had contact with the index patient for evaluation and follow-up.
More than 200 people, including family members and health care workers, were tested for the virus.
“Hemodialysis patients have a compromised immune system, putting them at higher risk of developing more complications from MERS-CoV than the average patient,” said Abdullah Assiri, assistant deputy minister for preventive health and liaison to the WHO.
“Hospitals should be very vigilant in monitoring these patients and isolating them when they develop any symptoms that may be attributed to an infection.”
Sindi and Assiri visited the hospital immediately after the first case was diagnosed to provide support and guidance.