Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – The United Arab Emirates

On 29 December 2019, the National IHR Focal Point of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported one laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) to WHO.

The case is a 74-year-old male national who owns a camel farm located in Al Ain City, Abu Dhabi region in UAE where he is living. He developed fever, cough and sore throat on 8 December 2019 and was admitted to hospital on 10 December, then transferred to ICU on 16 December. A nasopharyngeal aspirate was collected and tested positive for MERS-CoV by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (UpE and Orf1a genes) on 16 December by the Shiekh Khalifa Medical Center laboratory. He has underlying comorbidities including hyperkalemia, diabetes mellitus with diabetic nephropathy, heart disease, asthma and hypertension. He has a history of close contact with dromedary camels and sheep at his farm in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. He has no history of recent travel and has not been involved in slaughtering animals. Currently, the patient is in stable condition in intensive care unit isolation.

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