How Saudi Arabia Let the Deadly MERS Virus Spread

Friday, June 13, 2014
By Paul Martin

NewsWeek.com
6/12/14

RIYADH/LONDON (Reuters) – When Saudi Arabia announced last week it had found 113 more cases of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), it didn’t just force a rethink of the threat the virus poses, it exposed institutional failings.

Saudi health sources and international virologists said poor communication and a lack of accountability in government departments, inadequate state oversight and a failure to learn from past mistakes have all hindered Saudi Arabia’s battle against the SARS-like virus.

They say it is too soon to tell if reforms introduced by a new acting health minister can overcome what they see as underlying problems.

Some top Saudi health officials say they accept that delays in reporting MERS cases were caused by poor communication between hospitals, laboratories and government departments, but they stress things have improved significantly since the appointment of the new minister in late April.

The health ministry “has put in place measures to ensure best practices of data gathering, reporting (and) transparency are strictly observed”, it says, and “to ensure that from now on, case information will be accurate, reliable and timely”.

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