WHO mission finds infection control gaps fueling MERS surge
Lisa Schnirring and Robert Roos
CIDRAP News
May 07, 2014
Lapses in hospital infection infection-control practices appear to be magnifying Saudi Arabia’s recent steep rise in Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections, according to an expert team from the World Health Organization (WHO) that just completed a visit to the country that included two hospitals.
And, signaling a continuing surge of new cases, Saudi Arabia’s health ministry today reported 28 more cases and 6 more deaths.
Mission report findings
The WHO said in a statement today that its team just completed a 5-day mission to Saudi Arabia to explore the reasons for the recent gush of cases. In late April the WHO offered its assistance, and Saudi health officials invited the expert team to visit.
The experts met with health officials in Riyadh to explore the epidemiologic, disease prevention, organizational, and communication components of the outbreak to better gauge the public health risk and to suggest the next steps for curbing the disease.
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