WHO is Notified of 11 Cases of MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia
Between Nov. 20, 2014 and Dec. 7, 2014, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of 11 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including four deaths.
Details of the cases are as follows:
A 70-year-old female from Taif city developed symptoms on Nov. 27 She was admitted to a hospital on Dec. 2. She had no history of contact with camels but her household contacts had frequent contact with animals. The patient has comorbidities but has no history of exposure to other known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. Currently, she is in critical condition in an intensive care unit (ICU).
A 71-year-old male from Riyadh city developed symptoms on Nov. 26. He was admitted to a hospital on Nov. 28. The patient has no history of exposure to any known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. Currently, he is in the ICU in critical condition.
A 52-year-old male from Buridah city developed symptoms on Nov 24.. He was admitted to a hospital on Nov. 26. The patient had comorbidities but had no history of exposure to known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. The patient was admitted to the ICU but died on Nov. 29.
A 28-year-old, non-national male from Najran city developed symptoms on Nov. 27. He was admitted to a hospital on Nov. 30. The patient has no comorbidities but has frequent contact with animals. He lives in an area with heavy presence of camels, although he has no history of contact with them. The patient had no exposure to other known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. Currently, he is in critical condition in the ICU.
A 62-year-old male from Rafha city who developed symptoms on Nov. 22. He was admitted to hospital on Nov. 25. The patient has no comorbidities but has frequent contact with camels and sheep and consumes their products. The patient had no history of exposure to other known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. Currently, he is in stable condition in an isolation ward.
6. A 34-year-old, non-national male from Skaka city developed symptoms on Nov. 18. He was admitted to a hospital on Nov. 23. The patient has no comorbidities but is a contact of a previously reported MERS-CoV case. The patient has no history of exposure to other known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. Currently, he is in stable condition in the ICU.
A 40-year-old male from Taif city developed symptoms on Nov. 26. He was admitted to a hospital on Nov. 27. The patient has no comorbidities and has no history of exposure to known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. The patient works in a healthcare facility, although the facility has not treated laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV cases. Currently, the patient is in stable condition in an isolation ward.
A 79-year-old, female from Alkharj city developed symptoms on Nov. 20. The patient was admitted to hospital on 31 October for a chronic renal condition. While hospitalized, she shared a room with a laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV case on Nov. 9. The patient had no history of exposure to other known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. She was admitted to ICU but died Dec. 1.
A 42-year-old, non-national male from Taif city developed symptoms on Nov. 17. He was admitted to a hospital on Nov. 20. The patient visited a healthcare facility for a chronic medical condition on Nov. 8. He had no history of exposure to known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. The patient was admitted to the ICU but died on Nov. 28.
10. A 58-year-old male from Taif city who developed symptoms on 15 November. He was admitted to hospital on 20 November. The patient had comorbidities but had no history of exposure to known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. The patient was admitted to an isolation ward but passed away on 7 December.
A 48-year-old female from Alkharj city developed symptoms on Nov. 18. She is a household contact of a previously-reported MERS-CoV case. The patient had no history of exposure to other known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. Currently, the patient is in stable condition in the ICU.
Contact tracing of household contacts and healthcare contacts is ongoing for these cases.
The National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also notified WHO of the death of one previously reported MERS-CoV case.
Globally, the WHO has been notified of 938 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 343 related deaths.
Source: WHO
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.
