What is MERS? What you need to know?
Middle East respiratory syndrome
coronavirus (MERS-CoV), previously known as novel coronavirus (nCoV), is a
viral respiratory illness, which was first reported in Saudi Arabia, in 2012.
The source of MERS is currently unknown, though it is likely to have originated
from an animal.
The MERS virus is currently
spreading in South Korea. This, in combination with the fact that coronaviruses
can often mutate, is leading to increased fears it could become a pandemic.
MERS-CoV is dissimilar to other
coronaviruses; there is currently no vaccine.
Most confirmed cases of MERS-CoV
have displayed symptoms of severe acute respiratory illness. Approximately 36%
of reported patients with MERS have died.
MERS-CoV belongs to the coronavirus family. Human coronaviruses were first classified in the mid 1960s. MERS-CoV was first reported in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. |
Contents of this article:
1. MERS Outbreak updates
2. What is MERS?
3. What causes MERS?
4. Symptoms of MERS
You will also see introductions
at the end of some sections to any recent developments that have been covered
by MNT's news stories. Also look out for links to information about related
conditions.
What is MERS- Video?
What is MERS- Video?
Fast facts on MERS
Here are some key points about MERS-CoV. More detail and supporting information is in the main article.
- MERS-CoV was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
- MERS-CoV belongs to the coronavirus family.
- All cases have been linked to countries in and neighboring the Arabian Peninsula.
- Cases of MERS-CoV reported in other countries were travel-related and first developed in the Middle East.
- It is thought mammals play a role in the transmission of the virus - bats and camels remaining a high contender.
- In addition to humans, strains of MERS-CoV have been identified in camels in Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and in a bat in Saudi Arabia.
- Doctors describe MERS-CoV as a flu-like illness with signs and symptoms of pneumonia.
- Sufferers of MERS-CoV will generally develop severe acute respiratory illness. Some people have reported mild respiratory illness with others showing no symptoms.
- There are no specific treatments for patients who become ill with MERS-CoV infection.
- Out of the confirmed cases of MERS-CoV, 36% have been fatal.
MERS Outbreak updates
June 28, 2015
The South Korea Prime Minister
has announced a "de facto end" to the MERS-CoV outbreak, which has
killed 36 people in the country. No new infection has been reported in 23 days,
however, WHO have refused to confirm this. According to WHO, a 28-day
incubation period is required - the last infection in South Korea was recorded
on July 4, 2015.
June 24, 2015
An additional six cases of
MERS-CoV was reported in Saudi Arabia in July. Since 2012, WHO have been
notified of 1,374 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV,
including at least 490 related deaths around the world?
June 5, 2015
In light of the recent outbreak
of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), WHO and the
Republic of Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare will conduct a joint mission
in the Republic of Korea.
This joint mission is to gain
information and review the situation in the Republic of Korea including the
epidemiological pattern, the characteristic of the virus and clinical features.
Based on current data and WHO's
risk assessment, there is no evidence to suggest sustained human-to-human
transmission in communities and no evidence of airborne transmission.
June 2, 2015
The outbreak of MERS-CoV in the
Republic of Korea continues to evolve. The Republic of Korea's first, or
"index", case was confirmed on May 20, 2015.
To date, contact tracing has
identified a total of 25 laboratory-confirmed cases, including the index case
and among health care workers caring for him, patients who were being cared for
at the same clinics or hospitals, and family members and visitors. Two of these
confirmed cases have been fatal.
June 2, 2015
A total of 1,179
laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with MERS-CoV have been reported
to WHO since 2012, including at least 442 deaths.
When was MERS discovered?
MERS-CoV belongs to the
coronavirus family. Human coronaviruses were first classified in the mid 1960s.
The coronavirus subgroups are referred to as alpha, beta, gamma and delta.
There are currently six coronaviruses that can affect humans including:
MERS-CoV belongs to the
coronavirus family. Human coronaviruses were first classified in the mid 1960s.
MERS-CoV was first reported in 2012 in Saudi Arabia.
Alpha coronaviruses
- Human coronavirus 229E
- Human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63, New Haven coronavirus).
Beta coronaviruses
- Human coronavirus OC43
- Human coronavirus HKU1
- SARS-CoV
- Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
Coronaviruses typically infect
one species type or those that are closely related. However, SARS-CoV infects
both humans and animals including monkeys, Himalayan palm civets, raccoon dogs,
cats, dogs, and rodents.
The common cold is a virally
related syndrome. It is connected to over 100 separate viruses, including human
coronavirus.
MERS-CoV is a species in lineage
C of the genus beta coronavirus, which presently includes tylonycteris bat
coronavirus HKU4 and pipistrellus bat coronavirus HKU5.
MERS-CoV is a species in lineage
C of the genus beta coronavirus, which presently includes tylonycteris bat
coronavirus HKU4 and pipistrellus bat coronavirus HKU5. Although it features in
the same subgroup, MERS-CoV is different from the coronavirus that caused
severe acute respiratory virus (SARS) in 2003. One parallel between MERS-CoV
and SARS is that they both are similar to coronaviruses found in bats.
MERS-CoV appears most closely to
resemble the not-yet-classified viruses from insectivorous European and African
bats in the Vespertilionidae and Nycteridae families.
All cases have been linked to countries in and neighboring the Arabian Peninsula including:
Bahrain
Iraq
Iran
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Palestine
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The West Bank
Yemen.
Cases of MERS-CoV reported in other countries were travel-related and first developed in the Middle East. Countries that have declared cases are:
Middle East
Egypt
Iran
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia (KSA)
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Yemen.
Europe
Austria
France
Germany
Greece
Italy
Netherlands
Turkey
United Kingdom.
Africa
Algeria
Tunisia.
Asia
China
Republic of Korea
Malaysia
Philippines.
Americas
US.
Assessing the South Korea MERS
outbreak: could it happen elsewhere?
There are two main questions that
have been raised following the South Korea outbreak: how did the virus manage
to affect so many people in a country far away from the geographic region where
the virus is most prevalent? And could a similar outbreak occur in other
countries with sophisticated health care systems?
What causes MERS?
The cause of MERS-CoV is not yet
fully understood. Although not confirmed, the infection could be primarily
zoonotic in nature, with limited human-to-human transmission. It is thought
mammals play a role in the transmission of the virus - bats and camels
remaining a high contender.
It is thought mammals play a role
in the transmission of the virus - bats and camels remaining a high contender.
In addition to humans, strains of
MERS-CoV have been identified in:
Camels in Qatar, Egypt and
Saudi Arabia
A bat in Saudi Arabia.
MERS-CoV antibodies were found in
camels across Africa and the Middle East, indicating that they had previously
been infected with MERS-CoV or a closely related virus.
Researchers from three centers in
the United States and two in Saudi Arabia conducted complete genetic sequences
for MERS-CoV isolates generated from five camels, the results verified them
identical to published sequences of human isolates.
Goats, cows, sheep, water
buffalo, swine and wild birds have been tested for antibodies to MERS-CoV; none
have yet been detected.
The findings above support the
hypothesis that camels are a probable source of infection transfer to humans,
while bats may be the ultimate reservoir of the virus. The high infectious dose
would require very close contact between an infected camel and humans for
instigation of human MERS-CoV infection by camels. It has been suggested the
virus could infect humans by air, via camel milk or meat.
Experts have commented that
although the respiratory route of transmission is the most likely, the paper
has exhibited that MERS-CoV can survive in raw camel milk marginally longer
than milk of other species, proposing the foodborne path of transmission should
be investigated further.
"MERS may have started in bats in
Saudi Arabia."
Researchers have discovered what
they believe could be the animal origin of Middle East respiratory syndrome
(MERS) - after examining a bat in Saudi Arabia near where the first person was
infected with the mystery virus.
Do camels vent the MERS virus?
Previous research has suggested
that camels could be a carrier of the virus, passing it to humans, but a new
study has confirmed for the first time that camels actually emit volumes of the
virus - making them suspect number one for spreading it to humans.
Symptoms of MERS
The most common symptoms of MERS
are:
Fever 100 degrees F or higher
Cough
Breathing difficulties
Chills
Chest pain
Body aches
Sore throat
Malaise - a general
feeling of being unwell
Headache
Diarrhea
Nausea/Vomiting
Runny nose
Renal (kidney) failure
Pneumonia.
Doctors describe it as flu-like
illness with signs and symptoms of pneumonia. Early reports described symptoms
as similar to those found in SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome)
cases. However, SARS infections did not cause renal failure, unlike MERS-CoV.
Sufferers of MERS-CoV will
generally develop severe acute respiratory illness. Some people have reported
mild respiratory illness with others showing no symptoms.
Source: medicalnewstoday.com
Source: medicalnewstoday.com
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