RIYADH: A mother died and three others in the family were infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus on Thursday.

These new cases have brought the total of MERS cases in the Kingdom to 1,069 which included 472 deaths, 584 patients recovered from the illness and 13 patients currently under treatment in the hospitals throughout the Kingdom.

According to a joint statement released by the Ministries of Health and National Guard, the the three members of the family include the father and his two sons.

The man, who is renal patient, is suspected to have contracted the disease from a camel, while his wife and sons contracted the virus from him.

The man is currently taking treatment at the King Abdul Aziz Medical City National Guard Health Affairs (KAMCNGHA ) in Naseem and one of his sons is being treated at the Prince Mohammed Hospital in Rabwah.

An official from the Ministry of Health told Arab News that one of the two sons is taking treatment at home since the authorities feel that he does not need hospitalization.

“There is no cause for alarm; there have been previous such MERS cases in one family in cities such as Taif, Riyadh and Al-Ahsa,” he said, recalling that there were seven cases in Al-Ahsa in one family.

There are three major hospitals in Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah that have been designated as centers of excellence to treat MERS patients. In addition to these facilities, there are 20 more well-equipped hospitals in all health regions to look after MERS casualties.

According to the World Health Organization, (WHO), the full picture on the source of the virus is not yet clear. Strains of MERS CoV that match human strains have been isolated from camels in Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.