WHO: Saudi MERS patient in Austria was sick during travel
Robert Roos
CIDRAP News
Oct 02, 2014
The Saudi Arabian woman who was found to have MERS-CoV during a visit to Austria was sick before she arrived in the country, and two of her close contacts are being tested for the virus as a result of respiratory symptoms, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.
In addition, late yesterday the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a new case involving a 65-year-old man and the death of a 43-year-old whose case was announced earlier.
In-flight symptoms
The MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) case reported in Austria earlier this week is that country’s first. The WHO said the patient is a 29-year-old woman who flew to Vienna on Sep 22. She came from Affif (also spelled Afif), a town about halfway between Mecca and Riyadh, and flew from Riyadh to Doha, Qatar, and then on to Vienna.
The woman had symptoms of an upper respiratory infection and fever before she arrived in Austria, the WHO said. She first sought treatment on Sep 24, and on Sep 28 she was transferred to Vienna’s reference hospital for infectious diseases. The agency said she is in stable condition.
The patient reported no contact with camels or camel products, other MERS patients, or anyone else who was sick, leaving her exposure source unclear, according to the WHO. She tested positive for the virus on Sep 29.
All of the woman’s contacts in Austria are being monitored, and two who have upper respiratory symptoms have been hospitalized, with test results awaited, the WHO reported.
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