ABU DHABI // A man and his wife tested positive for the Mers coronavirus in the UAE, a World Health Organisation spokesman said.
“We do have two new cases, also reported by the [UAE] Ministry of Health,” said Christian Lindmeier. “It’s not 100 per cent clear whether it was from camel products, but it seems very likely as the man had visited a camel farm.”
He said that the man had gone to a healthcare centre with flu-like symptoms and tested positive for the virus, after which a group of close contacts were also tested as part of routine procedures.
“His wife, who did not have any symptoms, was tested and some traces of the virus were detected,” said Mr Lindmeier, adding that this shows the system of testing close contacts works.
The Health Authority Abu Dhabi (Haad) said the two individuals are receiving treatment, according to state news agency Wam.
Haad said it is coordinating care with the Ministry of Health to ensure all necessary measures are taken in line with recommendations from the World Health Organisation.
To date, the WHO has been notified of 1,626 laboratory-confirmed cases of Mers infection. This figure does not include the most recent UAE cases.
On January 3, the National IHR Focal Point of Oman notified the WHO of one additional case of Mers. Before today’s announcement, the UAE had not reported a case of Mers since June 21 last year.
dmoukhallati@thenational.ae