MUSLIMS travelling to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Umrah and Hajj (pilgrimage) are being asked to take special precautions following an outbreak of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, otherwise known as MERS-CoV.
The warning comes from Dr Yitades Gebre, adviser, Family Health Disease Management at the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In a statement issued to the media last Thursday, Gebre said the first case of MERS-CoV was reported in 2012 and has affected nine countries to date.
“Globally, from September 2012 to July 21, 2013, WHO has been informed of a total of 90 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 45 deaths.
