NOVEL INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Additional Details on the MERS-CoV Family Cluster from Hafar Al-Batin, Saudi Arabia

A family cluster of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has been reported from Hafar Al-Batin in northern Saudi Arabia. Five these individuals have been reported to World Health Organization (WHO) by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health (MOH). There is uncertainty surrounding the family relationships among these infected individuals however Arabic media reports (noted below) allow a tentative construction of the kinship relations among these cases as depicted below. According to the reconstruction, 3 generations in this family have been infected with the disease.

Besides this family cluster, the Saudi MOH is reporting four other MERS-CoV cases from Hafar Al-Batin that may be associated with this family cluster. Three of the other four cases as noted below are reported to have had contact with MERS-CoV infected individuals.

Family relationships of this cluster are reported at FluTrackers.

link: http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=508482&postcount=2

The five cases reported by WHO (age sex, status)

38 M, died, onset August 8, 2013, died August 17, 2013

link: http://www.who.int/csr/don/2013_08_30/en/index.html

79 F, August 21, 2013, died September 2, 2013

link: http://www.who.int/csr/don/2013_09_07/en/index.html

47 M, onset August 23, 2013, in ICU

link: http://www.who.int/csr/don/2013_09_07/en/index.html

16 M, asymptomatic

link; http://www.who.int/csr/don/2013_08_30/en/index.html

7 F, asymptomatic