A 73-year-old Qatari citizen has tested positive for the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) virus, public health authorities announced yesterday.
Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) reference laboratories have confirmed that the man is suffering from the respiratory infection.
This is the fourth case of MERS-CoV (coronavirus) to be confirmed in the country this year, the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) said in a statement.
The third case, which involved an expatriate camel farm worker, was confirmed recently, taking the total number of MERS cases in Qatar to 14 so far.
The last case in which a Qatari national was involved was reported in March. He was 69 years old.
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After the latest case was confirmed, a rapid response team from the Health Protection and Communicable Diseases Control Department at the SCH prepared a list of all those who could have come in contact with the patient, as per the World Health Organization’s guidelines, the SCH said.
All the traced contacts will be monitored over the next two weeks, and those who develop respiratory symptoms will be screened.
In the meantime, a joint team from the SCH and the Animal Resources Department at the Ministry of Environment is carrying out a field investigation.
The SCH said that people with any questions or symptoms related to MERS can contact hotlines 66740948 or 66740951.
