Pakistan reports first MERS-CoV case, patient returning from Saudi Arabia

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported its first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The patient, a Pakistani national, had returned from Saudi Arabia last month.

According to officials, the patient was admitted to a private hospital in Jhelum on September 4 for heart treatment. The following day, the World Health Organization and Saudi health authorities confirmed that the individual had contracted MERS-CoV.

The patient was later transferred to the ICU of Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi. Authorities conducted tests on over 40 individuals who had come into contact with the patient, and all results returned negative for the virus.

The patient has since recovered and is now residing at home in Kharian.

MERS-CoV was first identified in 2012 and is primarily transmitted from camels to humans. Saudi Arabia has reported the highest number of cases, with 2,204 confirmed infections and 862 deaths to date.