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MOH's Press Release on Increase in MERS-CoV Cases in Wadi Al-Dawasir

12 February 2019

The Ministry of Health (MOH, represented by the Control and Command Center (CCC), has reported an increase in the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases in Wadi Al-Dawasir Province, in conjunction with the mating season. In a press release, MOH has monitored a remarkable increase in MERS cases during the past three weeks in the province and across Kingdom's regions, pointing out that such increase often happens during the same period every year and is linked to human direct contact with camel, particularly during the mating season and camel movements.

In the same vein, the CCC confirmed that the epidemiological surveillance by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture's (MEWA) field teams have detected a number of positive samples of MERS‐CoV in camels. Accordingly, MOH has dealt with the increase in cases by recording the number of those in direct contact with positive cases at the health facilities and community in general and implemented the accepted precautionary and therapeutic measures. Currently, the total number of hospitalized cases and those quarantined at home amounted to 27 cases of which 6 are without any symptoms. Also, MEWA has tested camels in areas with human cases and took the necessary precautionary measures.

The CCC called upon citizens and residents to take the precautionary measures when dealing with camels and their surroundings, to ensure that their hands are cleansed, to wear protective materials when dealing with camel's wastes and excretions, to cooperate with MOH and MEWA teams and to reveal being in contact with camel, if needed, so as to visit emergency and inpatient sections. It also called upon everyone to abide by the regulations preventing the random selling and circulation of camel milk and products, given that camels are the main source of infection with corona virus.