Kuwait health ministry: Coronavirus under control

Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of Health Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah assured citizenry and residents that the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is under control. In press statements during a visit to the Health Ministry's Call Center on Saturday, Sheikh Mohammad said that the state has comprehensive plan to face the deadly virus after the discovery of second infected cases this week. "The Ministry has prepared the plan a long time ago in coordination with heath ministries in other Gulf states and the World Health Organization," he added. He pointed out that medical centers across the nation are prepared to deal with the disease. Sheikh Mohammad urged public to remain calm, stressing that there is no cause for concern as the virus does not spread at large scale and the number of registered infected cases worldwide did not exceed 165 cases. He noted that the Ministry has launched a hotline, 151, to offer guidance to people on how to discover the deadly virus and how to deal with suspected or infected cases. Kuwait reported its first two cases of the deadly MERS coronavirus on Wednesday, the fifth Gulf Arab country the strain has emerged in since the outbreak began in neighboring Saudi Arabia last year. The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which can cause coughing, fever and pneumonia, has been reported in people in the Gulf, France, Germany, Italy, Tunisia and Britain. Oman reported its first case last month and the sufferer died on Sunday. Scientists say they believe dromedary camels in the Middle East may be the animal "reservoir" which is fuelling the outbreak