Editorial Team
... Read More
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
Written By: Editorial Team | Published : May 6, 2014 3:35 PM IST
The Saudi health ministry Monday announced three more deaths and three new Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus cases, raising the number of infection to 414, including 115 deaths. The new deaths, including one man and two women, were reported in Jeddah. Two of the new cases were of women in their fifties and registered in Riyadh, and the third one is a man in his sixties in Medina, who was receiving treatment at the ICU, Xinhua reported.
Meanwhile, one infected woman in her forties fully recovered and was discharged from a government hospital in Riyadh Monday. Saudi Arabia is seriously fighting the infection and has established three medical centres in the country that are dedicated to receive only MERS coronavirus cases. More centres will be opened soon. (Read: 12 fast facts about MERS-CoV)
The first such case was diagnosed in 2012. Despite the registering of new cases on a daily basis, the World Health Organisation has not yet declared the infection as epidemic. (Read: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) should you worry?)
What is MERS?
MERS stands for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome which is a viral illness that was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012.It is caused by a respiratory virus, a previously unseen variant of the coronavirus. It's very similar to a strain of coronavirus found in bats and not the same as the SARS virus that circulated in 2003. Dr Ram Shukla, a specialist in infectious diseases from the UAE tells us 12 important facts about the disease:
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.
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.
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: MERS-CoV update: Six new infections in Saudi Arabia)
With inputs from IANS
For more articles on diseases & conditions , visit our diseases & conditions section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.
