SARS-like virus kills 9 people in Saudi Arabia

At least nine people have died in Saudi Arabia from an outbreak of the novel coronavirus (nCoV), a SARS-like respiratory infection which first emerged in the Gulf in 2012. On 18 May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said a total of 22 cases had been recorded in the Al-Ahsa region of Saudi Arabia, centred around one healthcare facility. WHO visited Saudi Arabia in mid-May, at the invitation of the Ministry of Health, to assess the situation. The disease first triggered a global alert in 2012 after a Qatari man was hospitalised with an acute respiratory syndrome with renal failure.