I came across this news report (read here) on a novel coronavirus referred to as MERS or Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome virus which has apparently claimed lives in Saudi Arabia. The virus causes high fever,respiratory symptoms such as coughing and difficulty breathing and leading to rapid kidney failure. It sounds similar to SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome virus which precipitated a global scare back in 2003 when 800 people were reported to have succumbed to the disease.
Considering that million of people the world over perform a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia annually, the virus could have the potential of being spread far and wide. I hope the Saudi Health Authorities will act on this public health concern by getting the cooperation of the World Health Organisation or WHO (Read here) to collaborate with it. The concerning feature of this new virus is that it has a high fatality rate.
Unprecedented global cooperation to fight SARS ten years ago resulted in the threat being prevented from inflicting greater morbidity and mortality. The current lack of information flow from Saudi Arabia is worrying.
As it is a new virus, there is no vaccine against it and the mode of transmission which is airborne poses a danger of very rapid spread unless cases are quickly detected and quarantined. Public health measures and personal hygiene need to be promoted.
It is advisable to be overcautious than waiting for the threat to be full blown and becomes a health crisis.
More articles here.
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A MERS coronavirus is shown in this colorized transmission electron micrograph.Photograph by: THE CANADIAN PRESS , HO-US National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases-RML Beth Fischer |
Considering that million of people the world over perform a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia annually, the virus could have the potential of being spread far and wide. I hope the Saudi Health Authorities will act on this public health concern by getting the cooperation of the World Health Organisation or WHO (Read here) to collaborate with it. The concerning feature of this new virus is that it has a high fatality rate.
Unprecedented global cooperation to fight SARS ten years ago resulted in the threat being prevented from inflicting greater morbidity and mortality. The current lack of information flow from Saudi Arabia is worrying.
As it is a new virus, there is no vaccine against it and the mode of transmission which is airborne poses a danger of very rapid spread unless cases are quickly detected and quarantined. Public health measures and personal hygiene need to be promoted.
It is advisable to be overcautious than waiting for the threat to be full blown and becomes a health crisis.
More articles here.
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