Qatar reports another MERS case

Oct 17, 2013

A 61-year-old man in Qatar is being treated for a Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, according to a Qatar News Agency report today. The report marks the country’s sixth case.

Qatar’s Supreme Council of Health said the man, who has chronic illnesses, is being treated and is in stable condition, according to the story.

Investigators have learned that the man has not traveled outside Qatar recently and has not had contact with other MERS-CoV case-patients, the story said. His family members and other contacts have been tested for the virus, all with negative results.

The story did not mention the patient’s home town or whether he had any recent contact with animals.

The last previous MERS-CoV case reported in Qatar involved a 56-year-old woman who died of her infection on Aug 31. Two other cases also were reported in August, and two were reported in the fall of 2012. One of the latter cases involved a man who got sick in Qatar in September 2012 and was treated in London but died there in June of this year.

The World Health Organization, which has not yet acknowledged the new case, listed a total of 138 MERS-CoV cases and 60 deaths in its latest update on Oct 14. Other groups have reported slightly higher numbers. FluTrackers, an online infectious disease message board, maintains a case list that currently shows 144 cases, including the new Qatari one.