Outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome at Tertiary Care Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2014

During March-May 2014, a Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak occurred in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that included many persons who worked or received medical treatment at King Fahd General Hospital. We investigated 78 persons who had laboratory-confirmed MERS during March 2-May 10 and docume...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Emerging infectious diseases 2016-05, Vol.22 (5), p.794-801
Main Authors: Hastings, Deborah L, Tokars, Jerome I, Abdel Aziz, Inas Zakaria A M, Alkhaldi, Khulud Z, Bensadek, Areej T, Alraddadi, Basem M, Jokhdar, Hani, Jernigan, John A, Garout, Mohammed A, Tomczyk, Sara M, Oboho, Ikwo K, Geller, Andrew I, Arinaminpathy, Nimalan, Swerdlow, David L, Madani, Tariq A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Cohort Studies
coronavirus infections
Coronavirus Infections - diagnosis
Coronavirus Infections - drug therapy
Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology
Coronavirus Infections - virology
Cross Infection
Disease Outbreaks
Female
Health aspects
Humans
Incidence
Infection control
Male
Medical personnel
Middle Aged
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus
nosocomial
outbreak
Outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome at Tertiary Care Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2014
Retrospective Studies
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia - epidemiology
Tertiary Care Centers
transmission
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Summary:During March-May 2014, a Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak occurred in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that included many persons who worked or received medical treatment at King Fahd General Hospital. We investigated 78 persons who had laboratory-confirmed MERS during March 2-May 10 and documented contact at this hospital. The 78 persons with MERS comprised 53 patients, 16 healthcare workers, and 9 visitors. Among the 53 patients, the most probable sites of acquisition were the emergency department (22 patients), inpatient areas (17), dialysis unit (11), and outpatient areas (3). Infection control deficiencies included limited separation of suspected MERS patients, patient crowding, and inconsistent use of infection control precautions; aggressive improvements in these deficiencies preceded a decline in cases. MERS coronavirus transmission probably was multifocal, occurring in multiple hospital settings. Continued vigilance and strict application of infection control precautions are necessary to prevent future MERS outbreaks.
ISSN:1080-6040
1080-6059
DOI:10.3201/eid2205.151797