GENEVA – The World Health Organization says efforts to prevent the spread of a dangerous virus need to be stepped up ahead of the start of the Muslim pilgrimage season, when millions of people from all over the world will travel to Saudi Arabia.
The U.N. health agency has recorded 701 confirmed cases and 249 deaths worldwide from the Middle East respiratory syndrome, the vast majority of them in Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Keiji Fukuda, the agency’s assistant director-general, said the jump in cases appears to have been caused by people mingling in hospitals before they were properly diagnosed and isolated, and has now ebbed thanks to better prevention efforts.
But Fukuda said much still needs to be learned about the virus, which is thought to be primarily acquired through contact with camels.
He said simple hand-washing is among the most effective prevention techniques.
