WHO URGES KSA TO TAKE NEEDED STEPS AGAINST MERS RESURGE

Mecca, 5 Jumadil Awwal 1436/24 February 2015 (MINA) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged Saudi Arabia to fight the spread of the deadly MERS virus.

“Besides implementing good infection control and prevention measures, efforts to educate professionals and the public are urgently needed,” said the WHO on Monday after its investigatory team visited the kingdom.

According to reports, around 57 people have contracted the disease in Saudi Arabia since the resurge of the coronavirus earlier this month, Press TV quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“We are all very aware of this surge in cases,” said Fadela Chaib, a member of the WHO team, in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh, on Sunday, adding, “Although this is still a small outbreak compared to last year, we still need to understand more about what is happening.”

She also criticized the Saudi officials for not doing enough to trace the source of the disease and taking necessary steps to control its rise.

“They [the Saudi authorities] are making progress, but there is a lot more work to do,” she warned.

Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry reported two more deaths from the coronavirus on Sunday.

Earlier in the month, the WHO voiced concern over the potential spread of MERS across the world.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS (MERS-CoV), is a respiratory disease which may disable the kidneys and also bring about pneumonia. Since the emergence of the syndrome in 2012, more than 902 people have been infected, most of them in Saudi Arabia. (T/P010/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)