Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Toll Rises To 319

The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or the MERS, virus has killed 319 people since 2012, the World Health Organization said Friday.



"Globally, the WHO has received a notification of 883 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 319 related deaths," since September 2012 when the virus first appeared, the WHO said in a statement.



The WHO urged countries "to continue their surveillance for acute respiratory infections and carefully review any unusual patterns."



About the first MERS patient in Turkey, who died on October 11, the WHO said the Turkish citizen was known to have worked in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and had travelled via a direct flight from Jeddah to Hatay, Turkey.



"Additional information about the flight and any contacts that may be linked to the same flight are now being investigated," the WHO added.



The health of the cabin crew was also being monitored, it added.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Cenevre