ProMED-mail has published a major post today: MERS-CoV - Eastern Mediterranean (105): Saudi Arabia, WHO, request for information. After posting four reports from WHO and the KSA MOH, ProMED-mail offers the following analysis:
The global tally of laboratory confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection maintained by WHO is now 170, including 72 deaths. The pattern of severe disease seen in individuals with underlying co-morbidities is continuing, with milder or asymptomatic infections seen in younger individuals without pre-existing co-morbidities. In addition, there continues to be limited person-to-person transmission in the healthcare setting.
Comparing the media report above in [2] with the WHO report in [1], there is a discrepancy in the ages of cases reported. In trying to reconcile these numbers, this moderator went to the Saudi MOH website viewing the English pages (most recent report 20 Dec 2013 (http://www.moh.gov.sa/en/CoronaNew/PressReleases/Pages/default.aspx, reflecting the report from 20 Dec 2013 seen on the MOH Arabic page and shown in [3] above) and then to the Saudi MOH website viewing the Arabic pages, where there was an additional report on the Saudi MOH Arabic page from 25 Dec 2013, reporting 5 new cases (and shown in [4] above). These 2 summary reports confirm a total of 9 newly diagnosed cases in Riyadh (and confirmed by Dr. Ziad Memish, the Deputy Minister of Public Health of Saudi Arabia):
20 Dec 2013 report
age N/A Healthcare Worker [HCW] asymptomatic contact
age N/A HCW asymptomatic contact
53 y/o Saudi multiple co-morbidities in ICU
73 y/o Saudi multiple co-morbidities died
25 Dec 2013 report
57 y/o Saudi multiple co-morbidities in ICU
73 y/o Saudi multiple co-morbidities died
43 y/o non Saudi HCW asymptomatic contact 35 y/o non Saudi HCW asymptomatic contact
27 y/o Saudi HCW asymptomatic contact
In total, there have been 141 cases and 57 deaths reported by Saudi Arabia (see http://www.moh.gov.sa/en/CoronaNew/PressReleases/Pages/default.aspx for the Saudi MOH tally in English).
The WHO global tally update report above (in [1]) refers to the cases contained in the 20 Dec 2013 report from the Saudi MOH website presented above in [3]. Hence, the addition of the 5 cases reported on 25 Dec 2013 presented above in [4] will bring the global total of MERS-CoV infections to 175 including 73 deaths.
When you follow the links, they'll take you to the same page, where the MOH has finally included the December 25 report in English. The Saudis tend to post first on their Arabic page, but they can be days late in translating a report to English. But they do tend to update the tally on both pages, which can be confusing also.
The Saudis could spare their colleagues a lot of that confusion if they would simply post new cases promptly and consistently, using the same basic information: age, sex, status in Saudi Arabia, occupation, place of residence, date of onset, presumed place where illness was contracted, relationship if any to earlier cases, initial treatment, subsequent treatment, and current status of case.
We never get all that information, and we're lucky (as ProMED-mail implies) to get the ages now and then.
I'm keenly aware that "privacy" is a cultural issue; some countries' media will report details that others would find outrageously personal. But the Saudis' ostensible concern for privacy and desire "not to stigmatize affected individuals and families" looks more and more like keeping a political embarrassment under wraps.
