Health

Sherman A1

(38,958 posts) Tue Apr 22, 2014, 07:56 AM Apr 2014

Saudi health minister sacked as Mers death toll rises

The Saudi health minister has been sacked without explanation, as the Mers coronavirus death toll there climbed to 81.

Abdullah al-Rabiah was dismissed just days after visiting hospitals in Jeddah to calm a public hit by panic over the spread of the respiratory virus.

Saudi has registered the largest number of infections of Mers (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome).

The ministry said it had registered 261 cases of infection across the kingdom.

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27108568

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Saudi health minister sacked as Mers death toll rises (Original Post) Sherman A1 Apr 2014 OP

This is not good. hedgehog Apr 2014 #1

More info Mosby Apr 2014 #2

hedgehog

(36,286 posts)

1. This is not good.

Reply to Sherman A1 (Original post)

Tue Apr 22, 2014, 10:37 AM

Apr 2014

Mosby

(16,263 posts)

2. More info

Reply to Sherman A1 (Original post)

Tue Apr 22, 2014, 12:50 PM

Apr 2014

...

MERS was initially concentrated in eastern Saudi Arabia but now affects other areas.

The virus is considered a deadlier but less-transmissible cousin of the SARS virus that erupted in Asia in 2003 and infected 8,273 people, nine percent of whom died.

Experts are still struggling to understand MERS, for which there is no known vaccine.

A recent study said the virus has been "extraordinarily common" in camels for at least 20 years, and it may have been passed directly from the animals to humans.

http://news.yahoo.com/mers-death-toll-hits-81-saudi-000247130.html

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