MERS Infection Kills More People

EMERGING & RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
DEADLY MERS
SCENARIO 011
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Saudi Arabia reports five new MERS cases and three additional deaths

Saudi health authorities reported five new Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases and three additional deaths from the infection on Friday.

The latest figures raise the total number of reported cases in Saudi Arabia to at least 520, including 163 fatalities

MERS Cases Worldwide

FIRE-EARTH Models project the total cases of MERS-CoV infections worldwide at 650 with 210 fatalities, as of May 17, 2014.

What’s MERS?

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness  caused by a coronavirus called “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).”

Symptoms

MERS symptoms include fever and pneumonia leading to kidney failure and often death. Most victims who got infected with MERS-CoV developed severe acute respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About half of them died. Some people were reported as having a mild respiratory illness within 14 days after traveling from countries in the Arabian Peninsula or neighboring countries.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)

MERS was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is viral respiratory illness first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. It is caused by a coronavirus called MERS-CoV. Most people who have been confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection developed severe acute respiratory illness. They had fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About half of these people died.

MERS-CoV is not the same coronavirus that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. However, like the SARS virus, MERS-CoV is most similar to coronaviruses found in bats. –CDC

Countries with Lab-Confirmed MERS – Reported Cases Since April 2012

• Egypt
• France
• Greece
• Italy
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Malaysia
• Netherlands
• Oman
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• United Kingdom (UK)
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• Unites States of America (USA)
• Yemen

Source of MERS

MERS-CoV has been “extraordinarily common” in camels since the 1990s, and it may have evolved after being passed to humans, according to a recent study.  The virus has been found in camels in Qatar and a bat in Saudi Arabia. Camels in a few other countries have also tested positive for antibodies to MERS-CoV.

Doctors Resigning for Fear of Infection

At least four doctors at a Jeddah hospital resigned in April after refusing to treat MERS patients for fear of infection, said reports.

MERS a Year Ago

A total of 38 infected cases had been reported in Saudi Arabia, 49 worldwide, as of May 30, 2013.

Related Links

• 2ND Case of MERS Reported in U.S.  May 13, 2014
• First U.S. Case of Deadly MERS Virus Confirmed  May 3, 2014
• Saudi MERS Death Toll Reaches 102 April 28, 2014

Links to Other Infectious Diseases

• Ebola Kills 100 in West Africa April 5, 2014
• Ebola Spreads to Liberia, Senegal Shuts Border March 31, 2014
• Ebola Outbreak Kills Dozens March 23, 2014

• Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever Breaks Out in SW Uganda October 20, 2012
• Disaster Calendar – 28 July 2012 July 28, 2012
• Climate Change Spreads “Deadly Dozen” Diseases October 8, 2008