On 17 June 2014, the National IHR Focal Point of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 2 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

Details of the cases

• A 42 year old resident of Jeddah city, Mecca Region. He was admitted to a hospital in Jeddah for a medical condition on 26 May and was discharged on 4 June. The patient visited his physician as follow up in the same hospital on 11 June. On 13 June, he developed respiratory symptoms, was diagnosed with pneumonia and was re-admitted to the hospital. He was laboratory-confirmed with MERS-CoV on 16 June. His condition deteriorated and he died on 18 June. The patient is reported not to have had contact with a laboratory-confirmed case with MERS-CoV. He neither had a history of recent travel nor a history of contact with animals. Preliminary investigations indicate that none of the personnel working in the ward where the patient was initially admitted had illnesses that fit the case definition for MERS-CoV.
• A 58 year old resident of Riyadh city, Riyadh Region. He became ill on 4 June and was admitted to a hospital on 12 June. He was laboratory-confirmed with MERS-CoV on 15 June. The patient is currently in a stable condition. ...