Floods in Saudi Arabia have killed 77 people and scores could be missing, after the heaviest rainfall in years.

Saudi Arabia floods leave 77 dead

The Saudi authorities have warned pilgrims to take care in the rain

Floods in Saudi Arabia have killed 77 people and scores could be missing, after the heaviest rainfall in years.

None of the casualties had been among the millions attending the Hajj pilgrimage, said a spokesman for the Saudi interior ministry.

Heavy rainstorms on Wednesday had hampered the start of the annual Muslim event in the city of Mecca.

The flood deaths were in the port city of Jeddah, Rabigh and Mecca, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

It quotes officials as saying the deaths had been caused by flooding and collapsed homes. Witnesses said many of the victims were trapped in cars and buses.

Twenty-one of the dead were Saudis and the rest were foreign immigrants resident in the country, said Jeddah civil defence chief Abdullah al-Amri, quoted by the Associated Press.

The floods hit particularly hard in the shantytowns around the city, he added.

 

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Epidemic Hazard Saudi Arabia Capital City, Riyadh : SARS

Earth Watch Report

 

04.11.2012

Epidemic Hazard

Saudi Arabia

Capital City, Riyadh

Epidemic Hazard in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, 04 November, 2012 at 18:35 (06:35 PM) UTC.

Description
A Saudi citizen in the capital Riyadh is the world’s third confirmed case of a newly discovered SARS-related virus but he has now recovered from his illness, the official Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday. The potentially deadly novel coronavirus is from the same family as SARS but had only been confirmed in two previous cases: a 60-year-old Saudi man who died earlier this year, and a man from Qatar who was treated in a London hospital. Saudi authorities conducted tests on the new case in the Health Ministry and then sent abroad a sample which tested positive, the agency said, citing a statement from the ministry. “The patient received the appropriate treatment and has recovered,” the agency quoted the ministry as stating, adding that the man had not left Riyadh. In accordance with Ministry of Health’s (MoH) responsibilities for disease prevention and control, and in keeping with our practice to inform the public and the media about significant findings that result from MoH disease surveillance activities, we are announcing today [4 Nov 2012] that one of our hospitalized citizens has been confirmed to have pneumonia caused by novel Coronavirus (nCoV). This case had no epidemiological links to the 2 documented novel coronavirus cases to date. When this individual was first admitted to hospital, he was evaluated for usual respiratory agents including influenza viruses. When none of these tests were positive, additional specimens were collected and tested by one of our regional MoH laboratories and an international reference centre. Both labs report RT-PCR positive results for nCoV upE target. Today MoH press agents released this information in English and Arabic to local and regional television and newspapers. WHO has been contacted in accordance with our IHR 2005 duties. With regard to the patient’s current status, he is recovering and out of intensive care. We have done preliminary investigations of family members and contacts including health care workers. There are no apparent secondary cases at this time, however these investigations are on-going. This man has no significant travel history, in fact had not been out of Riyadh. One week prior to disease onset he reports having visited a farm. Additional details will be reported as they become available.
Biohazard name:	SARS
Biohazard level:	4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:	Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Symptoms:
Status:	confirmed

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