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CP28072968 — FILE - In this Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013, file photo, Egyptian Muslim pilgrims, some wearing masks as a precaution against the Middle East respiratory syndrome, pray after they cast stones at a pillar, symbolizing the stoning of Satan, in a ritual called "Jamarat," the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina near the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah sacked the country’s health minister on Monday, April 21, 2014, amid a spike in deaths and infections from the virus known as the Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS. The official Saudi Press Agency carried the royal order that said Abdullah al-Rabiah was relieved of his post as Health Minister, and that Labor Minister Adel Faqih will temporarily take over the health minister’s portfolio until a replacement is named. The statement said al-Rabiah is now adviser to the Royal Court. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

Saudi health authorities report 3 more deaths, 10 additional cases of MERS virus

April 20 2014 07:06 PM

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia’s health ministry says three more patients who contracted a potentially fatal Middle East virus related to SARS have died amid a recent increase in infections.

The ministry posted details of the deaths in a statement Sunday evening. They included a 49-year-old resident of the city of Jiddah, which has seen a recent spike in infections of the Middle East respiratory syndrome. Two others from the southern Najran region and the area around the western city of Medina also died. Both were 68.

The deaths were among 13 new cases reported in the kingdom.

Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabiah says the ministry is making every effort to contain the virus.

A total of 79 people have died in Saudi Arabia from MERS since it was identified in 2012.

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