MERS outbreak due to Saudi hospital misdiagnosis, says WHO
A Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) outbreak is currently ongoing in a hospital in Riyadh city, Riyadh region. The National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of 22 additional cases between June 16 and 18.
According to a recent statement by the WHO, the first identified case for this outbreak was the 49 year-old female reported to WHO on June 15. The case has co-morbidities. The patient was admitted to the hospital on June 10 with unrelated symptoms and was triaged in the Emergency Department for her illness. She was then admitted to the vascular surgery ward – MERS-CoV infection was not considered. She was not isolated and was managed in a multi-bed room. During this time, more than 49 health care workers and patients were exposed.
After she was confirmed as a MERS-CoV case, a Rapid Response Team was dispatched and extensive contract tracing was initiated. Twenty of those screened so far at the hospital and in the household have tested positive for MERS-CoV. These are 17 healthcare contacts and 3 household contacts. Eighteen of the 20 are asymptomatic.
Globally, since September 2012, WHO has been notified of 1,761 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 629 related deaths.
MERS-CoV causes severe human infections resulting in high mortality and has demonstrated the ability to transmit between humans. So far, the observed human-to-human transmission has occurred mainly in health care settings.
The notification of additional cases does not change the overall risk assessment. WHO expects that additional cases of MERS-CoV infection will be reported from the Middle East, and that cases will continue to be exported to other countries by individuals who might acquire the infection after exposure to animals or animal products.
Based on the current situation and available information, WHO encourages all its member states to continue their surveillance for acute respiratory infections and to carefully review any unusual patterns. WHO does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions with regard to this outbreak but says that raising awareness about MERS-CoV among travelers to and from affected regions is good public health practice.
