DOHA: Qatar is free from the Sars-like MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) coronavirus and 400 people have tested negative for the disease, a senior public health official said.
To rule out the possibility that some animals here may be affected by the virus, the authorities are conducting extensive tests so that if there is a problem it could be tackled at its source. The tests are being conducted by the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Environment.
In Saudi Arabia, the virus was first detected among animals in 2011. A Saudi doctor had detected it in cooperation with a Dutch research centre. This was disclosed by Dr Mohamed Al Hajri, Director of Health Protection and Communicable Diseases Control at the Supreme Council of Health (SCH).
Qatar is free from the virus, Al Hajri said, taking part in Al Sharq’s Ramadan tent recently. “The situation is under control.”
Responding to a question, the official said there was no scientific basis to the talk that the virus was being caused by dates. “It’s a baseless talk.”
Some MERS cases have been reported from the nearby Saudi city of Al Ahsa but the Saudi government is taking preventive measures.
Qatar, according to Al Hajri, is closely coordinating with the Saudi authorities as people from here are going there for Umrah (pilgrimage).
“We are getting updated information on the disease from the Saudi authorities.”
Hundreds of thousands of people are in Makkah for Umrah and not a single MERS case has been reported, said the official. He said dangerous viruses like Sars in 2003 and now coronavirus are a result of climate change and the greenhouse effect.
There is no need to panic because more than 8,000 people were affected by Sars but only a small percentage succumbed to it.
Meanwhile, six new coronavirus cases — four women and two men — have been reported in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The cases were detected following the screening of 136 people including the medical staff and family members of the first patient. QNA said quoting the WHO that the virus was not a concern for public health “at the moment as the cases detected globally continue to be very low”.
So the current situation does not require travel restrictions to any country, nor screenings at different ports or restrictions on trade, QNA said quoting the WHO.
The Peninsula
