Saudi Reports 3 Cases, Including 1 Death, From Deadly MERS Coronavirus

Humans are infected with MERS-CoV from direct or indirect contact with dromedary camels, which are the natural host and zoonotic source of the virus. MERS-CoV has demonstrated the ability to transmit between humans

The Saudi health ministry has informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about three human cases, including one death, of the deadly and highly contagious Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus between 10 and 17 April.

All three cases were males from Riyadh aged between 56 and 60 years with underlying health conditions and were not health care workers, WHO said in its bulletin.

The three cases are epidemiologically linked to exposures in a health-care facility in Riyadh, although investigations are ongoing to verify this and understand the route of transmission, WHO said. Since the beginning of the year, a total of four cases and two deaths have been reported from Saudi Arabia. The notification of these cases does not change WHO's overall risk assessment, which remains moderate at both the global and regional levels.