There have been no new cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) over the past three days, said a Health Ministry statement on Sunday.

The spread of the disease has been brought well under control, said the statement.

MERS has claimed 295 lives and infected 721 people since September 2012.

A total of 39 people are still undergoing treatment and 387 patients were discharged from hospital after making a full recovery.

One death and four new cases have been recorded in a seven-day period.

The casualties were all Saudi men from Taif, Riyadh and Hofuf, while a Saudi man, aged 70, died in Taif.

Among the major measures taken by the Ministry of Health to combat the virus was the launch of a Kingdom-wide awareness campaign on the coronavirus in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) by acting Health Minister Adel Fakeih.

“The government is doing its best to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We now need the help of the public in implementing simple precautions,” he said.

“The campaign was set up based on expert medical advice from respected organizations and health care professionals. We would like to thank them for their important contributions in its implementation,” he added.

“Based on expert advice, avoid raw camel meat and liver and unpasteurized camel milk. Camel meat must be well-cooked if consumed.”

Tariq Madani, adviser to the Health Ministry, said: “An awareness campaign is an integral part of reaching out to and communicating with the public. By following these simple, but effective, recommendations, the public can join us in tackling this issue together.”

“The Medical Council of the Ministry of Health reviewed all the policies and research that can assist in dealing with the virus and coming up with ways of diagnosing it,” said Madani.

The campaign is part of an overall strategy to address the public health challenge caused by the deadly virus.

Besides these measures, the Health Ministry assigned three major hospitals in Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah to treat MERS patients with qualified and well-trained medical and para-medical staff.