MERS virus: No new case detected, says Johor health department

JOHOR BARU: The state health department have not detected any new cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) here.

State Health and Environment executive committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat assured that the virus was under control and said that things were looking good.

"It is however up to the health ministry to make an official declaration that the affected area is safe," he said after flagging off participants of a health run at the Hospital Sultanah Aminah here on Saturday.

Ayub added that so far the virus had killed a 54-year-old man last Sunday and other than him only one other person had been hospitalised after he was found to have symtoms of the virus.

"The man is a village head from Batu Pahat but he has since been discharged," he said.

He added that the house observation period for the 64 villagers in Kampung Bintang, Batu Pahat would also be lifted soon if they do not display symptoms of the virus.

"They are supposed to be under observation for a week," he said adding that the period ends on Sunday.

The MERS-CoV was first detected in the Middle East in 2012, but researchers have yet to determine its cause.

The World Health Organisation has recorded 238 cases of the disease and 92 deaths related to the MERS-CoV globally to date.