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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : May 2, 2014 2:48 PM IST
Saudi Arabia Thursday reported ten new Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)corona virus cases, taking the total number of cases to 371, including 107 deaths. Three of the cases were reported in Riyadh, four in Jeddah and three in Macca, Xinhua reported.
To tackle the spreading of the infection, the country's health minister has appointed a council of medical advisors with extensive experience in infectious diseases. The ten-member council will work under the direction of the minister and advise the ministry on the status and severity of MERS corona virus, as well as the management of existing cases. (Read: MERS-CoV claims paramedic's life in UAE)
Saudi Arabia also opened three specialist health centers in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam to ensure that suitable treatment facilities be available for those affected. (Read: 12 fast facts about MERS-CoV)
What exactly is the MERS-CoV?
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.
Why we need to be worried
The problem with viruses like this is multi-fold. Vaccines and medicines are usually devised after years of planning and studying a particular pathogen so that we can contain them. Unlike seasonal influenza, healthcare professionals have no idea how to deal with unknown ailments, the way it spreads and how to contain it. The last time the world faced a situation like this was a decade ago when the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) broke out near Hong Kong where a local farmer died from the disease. In the next eight months, the disease affected over eight thousand people and caused 775 deaths in 37 different countries. The more worrying fact was that it had at its peak a fatality rate of 9.6% (almost one out of every ten people affected died) and despite the fact that the disease disappeared after early 2003, it's not believed to have been eradicated and the virus can still be lurking in animals. (Read: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) should you worry?)
With inputs from IANS
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