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The MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) coronavirus in Saudi Arabia has claimed 168 lives since September 2012, with five fresh deaths reported, the health ministry here said Sunday.
The ministry said nine more confirmed cases of MERS were reported Saturday, bringing the total number of infected cases to 629 since the outbreak of the chronic disease, Arab News reported.
Three from Jeddah, one from Riyadh and one from Madinah died Saturday.
Meanwhile, doctors were trying to stop the spread of MERS. They said the disease killed about 30 percent of those who were infected.
It is becoming increasingly clear that people can be infected with MERS without developing severe respiratory disease, said David Swerdlow, who heads the MERS response team at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
'You don't have to be in the intensive care unit with pneumonia to have a case of MERS,' Swerdlow was quoted as saying.
What exactly is the MERS-CoV?
The MERS is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus which has been christened Middle East Respiratory Coronavirus.
MERS-CoV facts sheet
1. Spread by animals in contact with bats
Mostly carried by bats but also some other vertebrates, the MERS Coronovirus spreads very rapidly in animals when they are kept together in confined and crowded places like live-animal markets, slaughter houses and while transporting animals by ships. Close and prolong contact with infected animals, which may not show any symptoms, helps virus jump to human. As it happened in SARS most of the animal traders were found to have SARS antibodies without any symptoms. This is a stage of adaptation to a new host (Inter-species transfer) which led to possible viral genetic mutation to adapt to its new human host. Same may be true for MERS-CoV.
2. It doesn't spread rapidly among humans
MERS is not transmitted very readily from person-to-person. This may occur after close and prolonged contact with infected patient in closed environment like home, hospitals etc. Infection spreads by coughing, droplet infection. But it can become air borne, meaning spread by air in hospitals when infected patient is given pressurized oxygen, intubated or procedures like bronchoscopy or during the use of pressurized devises like dental drill etc making healthcare workers more susceptible.
3. Infection control in hospitals and clinics can prevent spread
Healthcare workers getting infected by MERS are reported on a regular basis which shows failure of observing stringent Infection Control Procedures in the hospitals. It is the responsibility of the hospitals to educate their staff, supervise and implement strict Infection Control and isolation procedures. Infected healthcare workers take the infection to their family and wider community. (Read: 12 fast facts about MERS-CoV)
With inputs from IANS
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