Arresting MERS: National Guard health staff barred from Haj

JEDDAH: Health workers from Riyadh’s National Guard hospital would not be allowed to perform Haj this year, or work at the holy sites, the Ministry of Health has announced.
Hail Al-Abdali, head of the ministry’s infection control unit, was reportedly quoted as saying on Thursday that this was a move to prevent the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus from spreading to pilgrims. This comes in the wake of a spike in cases at the National Guard hospital over the past two weeks.
There have now been 77 cases of new infections reported at the National Guard facility from Sunday Aug. 16 to Thursday Aug. 27.
With four more deaths announced by the ministry on Thursday, all Saudis from Riyadh, this means that 26 people have died from the virus in just under two weeks.
Those who died were all Saudis from Riyadh — three men aged 58, 63 and 75, and one woman aged 87. They all had preexisting illnesses.
Six new infections were also announced on Thursday, all Saudis from Riyadh, aged 25, 30, 58, 77, 78 and 87.
This means that since June 2012, the Kingdom has had 1,172 cases, 502 deaths, 605 recoveries, and 55 people under treatment at hospitals and nine at home.
Meanwhile, National Guard Minister Prince Miteb bin Abdullah says the National Guard is not solely responsible for tackling MERS. The Ministry of Health’s strategy to tackle MERS includes all health agencies and units, he said.
Speaking Wednesday at a foundation-laying ceremony for health facilities in Jeddah, Prince Miteb said that extensive measures have been taken to ensure the disease is brought under control.
“The hospital has one of the largest emergency departments in the Kingdom and deals with thousands of medical cases a day, making it more likely that the virus could spread,” said Prince Miteb.
The minister launched the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Science in Jeddah, a branch of King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, and other medical and health projects.
Prince Miteb said these projects represent a quality addition to this vital sector. “The projects will offer comprehensive health services for the employees of the National Guard and citizens in the western sector of the Kingdom,” he said.