JEDDAH – Three new cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) were discovered, the Health Ministry announced. It said a citizen in his 90s in Mahd Al-Dahab, a 68-year old citizen in Khaibar and an expatriate woman in Hofuf have been diagnosed with the disease. The ministry described their conditions as stable and said the two Saudi men contracted the virus by mixing with camels. It asked citizens and expatriates to take precautionary measures such as wearing face masks and washing the hands with soap or antiseptics while coming in contact with camels or infected people. The ministry noted that most of the cases reported in recent weeks were resulting from contacts with camels. "This is the camel breeding season so grazers and owners should be careful and should take preventive measures," it said. According to the ministry since the virus was first detected in the Kingdom in September 2012, as many as 1,493 people have been infected. It said 862 of them have recovered, 618 have died and 13 are currently under treatment in various hospitals.
