Ministry hires experts to combat MERS, Ebola

The Ministry of Health has hired a team of experts from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help combat the spread of infectious and non-communicable diseases in the Kingdom, including the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Ebola. The decision is part of an agreement recently signed by the ministry’s command and control center with the CDC and includes training and support for Saudi professionals under the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP).
The program would be carried out in cooperation with King Saud University under the guidance of a foreign adviser for a period of three years, said Abdul Aziz bin Saeed, undersecretary for public health and president of the central command and control center, on Tuesday.
“The ministry will ensure comprehensive preparations based on the world’s best medical practices to provide protection for citizens and residents in the Kingdom,” said Bin Saeed. He said that this is an essential part of the continued cooperation with the World Health Organization and the CDC on MERS and other communicable diseases.
Bin Saeed said that he has already launched a program to prepare hospital staff to deal with the outbreak of diseases, and extend support for research on MERS. Under the FETP program, more than 100 Saudi graduates have obtained their degrees at King Saud University.
The program was introduced in 1989 as a two-year postgraduate course at King Saud University, which is recognized as a master’s degree by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties.
Since September 2012, MERS has infected 837 and killed 361 people. Currently, only six patients are being treated for MERS at government hospitals. According to a ministry statement, 471 patients who were treated at hospitals have recovered and are leading normal lives.