Lebanon found the first case of MERS virus infection

On May 8, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said the country had discovered the first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

The case is a Lebanese citizen, who traveled to many Gulf countries last month.

In a statement, Lebanese Health Minister Wael Abu Faour said the patient had been discharged from the hospital after a healthy recovery.

Health workers and foreigners wear MERS anti-masks at a hospital in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia on April 22.(Photo: AFP / VNA)

Authorities have also conducted safety checks at the hospital where the patient was treated, to ensure the disease does not spread.

Besides, Mr. Faour reassured Lebanese public opinion and called on people to actively prevent respiratory diseases.

MERS-CoV virus is considered a "relative" of the virus that causes acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the virus that caused pandemic in Asia in 2003.

Like SARS, the MERS-CoV virus also causes flu symptoms and is thought to be transmitted from animals to humans, but more dangerous than SARS, MERS-CoV can cause kidney failure and mortality in infected people. disease up to 51%.

Discovered for the first time in mid-2012, the virus spread from Gulf countries to North Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe, causing hundreds of people to be infected, of which more than 100 people died.