Death of a Patient at Souillac Hospital: Tests Underway to Confirm if it is MERS Virus

A patient passed away this morning in the isolation unit of Souillac Hospital. The deceased is Nizam Bhugloo, a 65-year-old resident of The Vale.

The patient was admitted to Rose-Belle Hospital on Monday for a respiratory infection and was later transferred to the isolation unit in Souillac due to a deterioration in his health condition. He exhibited breathing difficulties, fever, and a persistent cough.

Health authorities suspect he contracted the MERS virus after a recent trip to Saudi Arabia, where he performed Umrah. He also suffered from multiple comorbidities, including heart problems. The death occurred around 5 a.m.

An autopsy is scheduled for this afternoon to determine the exact cause of death. Concurrently, a series of tests are underway to confirm if it is indeed the MERS virus.

At this stage, the Ministry of Health emphasizes that Mauritians traveling to Saudi Arabia are required to be vaccinated against meningitis, thereby ruling out this disease as a possibility.

It is worth noting that MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), also known as Middle East respiratory syndrome, is a respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus. MERS-CoV was first detected in 2012, particularly in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.