Outbreak fears as man, 28, in catches coronavirus with 35% mortality rate

A YOUNG man is it critical condition in hospital with contagious Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), experts have warned.

The 28-year-old man tested positive for the viral bug in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday.

1

The deadly virus, which is usually passed on from infected animals like camels, kills about a third (35 per cent) of those infected.

However, there are concerns that it can also be spread between humans and via airborne transmission.

Local health officials have checked 108 people the young man was in contact with, but no secondary infections had turned up so far, it added.

MERS was first identified by scientists in Saudi Arabia in 2012, and has since resulted in over 2605 infections and 936 deaths.

The majority of cases are reported in the Arabic world, but some have been discovered elsewhere – including one in the UK in 2018.

The WHO said the latest case involved a non-UAE national that attended a private medical clinic multiple times between June 3 and 7, 2023.

He had been complaining vomiting, right flank pain and pain when passing urine.

On June 8 he visited a public hospital with vomiting and gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhoea.

He was given an initial diagnosis of acute pancreatitis, acute kidney injury, and sepsis.

The man was in critical condition by June 13, and was referred to an intensive care unit (ICU) at a specialist hospital where was put on mechanical ventilation.

He tested positive for MERS-CoV by PCR on June 23, 2023.

He had no known co-morbidities, no history of contact with MERS-CoV human cases, or camels, and had not travelled recently outside the UAE.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to Covid-19.