Saudi Arabia finds six new Mers cases as outbreak grows
Riyadh announces six new cases of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers), bringing the number of infections up to 32 since the start of October
Saudi Arabia said late on Wednesday it had detected six new cases of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) in 24 hours, the biggest daily jump for months with officials blaming lax hospital procedures.
The recent surge in cases, now numbering 32 since the start of October, has been focused in Riyadh and the western city of Taif, but it remains far less extensive than an outbreak in April and May that infected hundreds.
Mers causes coughing, fever and sometimes pneumonia, killing around 40 per cent of its victims. The vast majority of confirmed cases worldwide have been found in Saudi Arabia, where 786 people have been infected, of whom 334 have died.
Two of the new cases announced by the health ministry were in medical personnel, adding to concerns about the standard of infection control procedures in medical facilities. Three different Taif hospitals have been affected.
Some of the people infected with Mers in Taif this month were being treated in one renal clinic in a hospital in the city, which authorities regard as being responsible for some of the transmissions, a senior Health Ministry official said.