Saudi Arabi´s Deputy Minister for Health Ziad Memish has been sacked by Health Minister Adel Fakieh. This follows over 113 confirmed, but unrecorded cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) corona virus, according to Reuters.
Al-Akhbar reports that whilst no public explanation has been given for Memish´s dismissal, the new discovery makes Saudi Arabia´s MERS death toll jump to 282, and its total number of MERS cases to 688. Fakieh replaced former Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabiah who was also dismissed without explanation in April 2014, on the promise that he would give the media and public more "transparency" about MERS. Fakieh also announced in May that he would sack the head of Jeddah´s King Fahd Hospital where medical staff cases of MERS increased, causing public panic.
MERS, which first appeared in September 2012 is increasingly thought to be sourced from camels according to AFP. The Saudi Ministry for Agriculture warned camel handlers to take precautions when touching the animals, such as wearing masks and gloves. This has nevertheless sparked an outcry with members of the public defiantly kissing camels and some Twitter users alleging a conspiracy against camels.
