ALGIERS, June 11 – Algeria has announced the first death from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, the Health Ministry said Tuesday.
Algeria confirmed in late May that two men who had performed pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia tested positive for the virus, Xinhua news agency reported.
One of the men died late Monday in a hospital in western province of Tlemcen while the other is currently receiving treatment.
Algeria issued a MERS alert last June and has recently raised its precaution level.
MERS has claimed 187 lives in Saudi Arabia since 2012.
Infections have been reported in several Middle Eastern countries, the U.S. and the Netherlands.
– BERNAMA
