Abu Dhabi: An Omani man diagnosed with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) coronavirus died in Abu Dhabi on Friday, an Abu Dhabi Government official said on Sunday.
The victim, 75, had been visiting Abu Dhabi in October when he was diagnosed with the virus. He was admitted to a public hospital for treatment but succumbed to the disease, the source told Gulf News.
Following his death, the patient’s body was repatriated to Oman.
The patient’s diagnosis with Mers was earlier confirmed to the World Health Organisation (WHO) by the Health Authority Abu Dhabi, the source added.
As reported by Gulf News, another Omani patient, who represents the first known case of the virus diagnosed in Oman, also died in the country’s northwest region on Sunday. He was 68 years old, and had been running a persistent fever before being diagnosed with Mers 12 days ago.
According to a November 4 update by WHO, the virus has so far claimed 64 lives worldwide, with the majority of fatalities occurring in Saudi Arabia. The virus is similar to the Sars (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus, which killed about a tenth of the more than 8,000 people it infected in 2002 and 2003.
