Another patient suffering from Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus has been identified in Dubai.
The elderly Emirati man was taken to hospital after displaying “symptoms of the Sars-like virus”, Dubai Health Authority confirmed on Friday, the state news agency Wam reported.
The 68-year-old patient, who is in the intensive care unit, suffers from diabetes and chronic kidney failure.
The health authority is working with the Ministry of Health and other authorities and has “taken necessary precautionary measures consistent with international recommendations and standards set out by the World Health Organisation (WHO), including epidemiological investigations for those in touch with the patient”, Wam reported.
Last month, a Jordanian man, his wife and their eight-year-old son were also confirmed as having the virus. The family, who live in Abu Dhabi, were taken to hospital for treatment.
The 32-year-old mother, who was eight months pregnant, died shortly after giving birth via caesarean section.
The Health Authority Abu Dhabi said her 38-year-old husband and son were stable. The newborn, close family members and health care workers were being monitored.
The WHO’s emergency committee held a meeting on December 4, during which the committee called for countries to strengthen their surveillance. The next meeting is due in March.
“WHO also stressed that the virus is not a concern for public health at the moment and that the current situation does not require a travel ban to any country in the world, nor screenings at different ports, nor any restrictions on trade,” Wam said.
According to a December 17 bulletin from the WHO, from September last year to date, “the organisation has been informed of a total of 165 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 71 deaths”.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
