10 diagnosed with MERS after outbreak in Saudi hospital

Ten cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus have been reported in Saudi Arabia since an outbreak in a hemodialysis unit in a hospital in the kingdom, the World Health Organization said in its latest update on Tuesday.

The WHO did not provide details on how the virus spread within the hospital.

In response to the outbreak, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health and regional health directorate dispatched a rapid response team to the site, following it up by activating the outbreak management team.

With the 10 cases, the total number of MERS cases reported in Saudi Arabia between Feb. 23 and March 16 stands at 18, which includes two fatal cases, the WHO said.

The potentially deadly MERS virus is thought to be carried by camels and comes from the same family as the coronavirus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Since September 2012, 1,935 cases have been confirmed and there have been at least 690 related deaths, WHO said.