RIYADH, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia on Tuesday threatened to jail those who sell antibiotics without prescription.

The violators will be jailed up to 6 months and fined 2,666 U.S. dollars, the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia tweeted.

It also warned about the risks of taking antibiotics without medical consultation, in a attempt to regulate the work of pharmacies.

The government has taken serious steps to improve the health sector, especially after the nationwide campaigns to fight the Corona Virus-related deaths, also known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus.

The kingdom has reported the highest number of cases and mortalities in the world since the first case of MERS was diagnosed in 2012.?