Via CIDRAP, Robert Roos writes: MERS death toll rises as WHO confirms 2 cases. Excerpt:
The World Health Organization (WHO) today confirmed two previously reported cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and announced two deaths.
The case in the UAE involves a 75-year-old Omani man who became ill on Oct 1, was hospitalized Oct 12, and died Nov 10, the WHO said in an e-mailed press release. His case was reported by the media Nov 7.
WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl reported via Twitter that the Omani patient had a history of diabetes and was a heavy smoker. He was the second Omani confirmed to have the infection, and his illness marked the sixth case reported in the UAE.
The patient in Qatar is a 61-year-old with underlying medical conditions, the WHO said. Media reports had said the man was a foreign visitor who came to the country looking for work, but the WHO agency said he was from Qatar.
The man was hospitalized Nov 7, 3 days after he got sick, and is in critical condition, the agency reported. A preliminary investigation indicates that he was exposed to farms where livestock are kept.
The WHO also said a previously confirmed case-patient from Oman has died. It gave no details, but the only other case reported in Oman so far involved a 68-year-old with diabetes who was hospitalized in Nazwa, 150 kilometers west of Muscat, the capital. His case was reported by the media on Oct 30.
The WHO's MERS-CoV count has reached 155 cases, including 66 deaths. The agency has not yet acknowledged two cases in Kuwait that were first reported by the media 2 days ago.
