MERS death toll in S Arabia rises to 179: Officials
Iran Press TV
Sun May 25, 2014 5:24PM GMT
The death toll caused by the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in Saudi Arabia has risen to at least 179, Saudi authorities say.
This comes after Saudi health authorities reported a new death from the MERS on Sunday.
The death brings the total death toll in the country from the outbreak to 142.
The health ministry says four new cases are confirmed to have been infected with the disease. The ministry added that the total number of infections in the kingdom is now nearly 560.
In early May, acting Saudi Health Minister Adel Fakieh dismissed the head of Jeddah's King Fahd Hospital, where a spike in MERS infections among medical staff sparked panic among the public.
The latest developments came days after the World Health Organization (WHO) said the spread of the disease has become more serious, but does not yet constitute a global health emergency.
MERS first emerged in the Middle East and was discovered in September 2012 in a Qatari man who had traveled to Saudi Arabia.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, which is worst hit by the virus, MERS has been reported in 16 other countries including some Persian Gulf states, France, Germany, Italy, and Britain.
MERS is a cousin of SARS. The virus, which causes coughing, fever and pneumonia, does not appear to be as contagious as SARS, which killed some 800 people in a 2003 epidemic.
JR/AB
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