UAE: New case of Mers virus confirmed in Al Ain, says WHO

A case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers-CoV) has been confirmed in the UAE’s Capital, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

According to the UN body, the International Health Regulations National Focal Point (IHR NFP) of the UAE notified about a 28-year-old patient from Al Ain city in Abu Dhabi on July 10.

“The case had no history of direct or indirect contact with dromedaries, goats, or sheep. The patient was admitted to the hospital on June 8. A nasopharyngeal swab was collected on June 21 and tested positive for Mers-CoV by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on June 23,” the WHO said and added the man was a “non-Emirati and a non-healthcare worker”.

All 108 identified contacts were monitored for 14 days from the last date of exposure to the Mers-CoV patient. No secondary cases have been detected to date.

Mers-CoV is a zoonotic virus, which is transmitted between animals and people. Studies have shown that humans are infected through direct or indirect contact with infected dromedary camels, although the exact transmission route remains unclear. However, the WHO clarified that the latest case had no contact with any animals.

The UAE reported the first case of Mers-CoV in July 2013. Since then, 94 confirmed cases, including this new case, and 12 deaths have been reported.

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