MERS Alert in South Korea: 1,200 Schools Closed, 1,600 People Quarantined

MERS claims third victim in South Korea

The MERS virus has killed three people in South Korea since its outbreak on May 20, prompting the authorities to close down at least 1,200 scholls and quarantine more than 1,600 people.

The latest fatality from the virus was the 36th officially confirmed case of the infection in S. Korea.

US forces on alert

Meantime, the United States Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday it will tighten health checks at its military bases to protect its service members from virus, according to a report.

“The move comes after a Korean chief master sergeant serving at the U.S. Air Force base in Osan, Gyoneggi Province, tested positive Wednesday for the deadly virus.”

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness that is new to humans. It was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and has since spread to several other countries, including the United States. Most people infected with MERS-CoV developed severe acute respiratory illness, including fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Many of them have died, according to CDC.

Countries with Lab-Confirmed MERS Cases

Countries in or near the Arabian Peninsula with Cases

• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• Qatar
• Oman
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Yemen
• Lebanon
• Iran

Countries with Travel-associated Cases

• United Kingdom (UK)
• France
• Tunisia
• Italy
• Malaysia
• Philippines
• Greece
• Egypt
• United States of America (USA)
• Netherlands
• Algeria
• Austria
• Turkey
• Germany
• South Korea
• China

Related Links

Deadly Hog Virus Re-infects Indiana Farm

EMERGING and RE-Emerging INFECTIOUS DISEASES
2ND OUTBREAK OF DEADLY PEDV
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Second Outbreak of Deadly PEDV Reported in U.S.

An Indiana farm has confirmed a second outbreak of the deadly Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV), fueling concerns the deadly disease, which has wiped out 10 percent of the U.S. hog population since last year, will be harder to contain than previously thought.

The rest of this exclusive report is posted at:  Deadly pig virus re-infects U.S. farm, fuels supply fears

The highly contagious disease has killed about 7 million U.S. hogs since it was first diagnosed last year and seriously threatens pork production across the country.

About 6,000 separate cases of the virus have been reported in 29 states across the nation, as of April 22, 2014. The U.S. has about 68,300 hog farms, according to USDA.

Virus Strain PC21A is a  highly contagious coronavirus that causes porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED). It was first reported in the United States in May 2013 in Iowa.  The porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has since spread rapidly throughout the U.S., according to reports filed with CDC.

Electron micrograph of a US porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) particle detected in a field fecal sample collected during a 2013 outbreak of PED on a farm in Ohio, USA; the fecal sample from which PEDV strain PC21A in this study was detected was from a pig on the same farm during the same outbreak. The sample was negatively stained with 3% phosphotungstic acid. Scale bar = 50 nm. Source: CDC – “Pathology of US Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Strain PC21A in Gnotobiotic Pigs”

Related Links

• 29 U.S. States Report Deadly PEDV  April 22, 2014

• Viral Hog Epidemic Outbreak in NC March 1, 2014
• Thousands of Dead Pigs Dumped in Shanghai River March 11, 2013

 

First U.S. Case of Deadly MERS Virus Confirmed

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DEADLY MERS
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CDC confirms first case of MERS Coronavirus infection in the U.S.

 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was confirmed on Friday in a traveler returning to the United States from Saudi Arabia, CDC reported.

“We’ve anticipated MERS reaching the US, and we’ve prepared for and are taking swift action,” said CDC Director.  “We’re doing everything possible with hospital, local, and state health officials to find people who may have had contact with this person so they can be evaluated as appropriate.  This case reminds us that we are all connected by the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink.  We can break the chain of transmission in this case through focused efforts here and abroad.”

On April 24, the patient traveled by plane from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to London, England then from London to Chicago, Illinois.  The patient then took a bus from Chicago to Indiana.  On the 27th, the patient began to experience respiratory symptoms, including shortness of breath, coughing, and fever. The patient went to an emergency department in an Indiana hospital on April 28th and was admitted on that same day. The patient is being well cared for and is isolated; the patient was in stable condition as of May 2, 2014. Because of the patient’s symptoms and travel history, Indiana public health officials tested for MERS-CoV. The Indiana state public health laboratory and CDC confirmed MERS-CoV infection in the patient Friday afternoon.

“It is understandable that some may be concerned about this situation, but this first U.S. case of MERS-CoV infection represents a very low risk to the general public,” said the assistant surgeon general and director of CDC’s National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases.  In some countries, the virus has spread from person to person through close contact, such as caring for or living with an infected person. However, there is currently no evidence of sustained spread of MERS-CoV in community settings.

CDC and Indiana health officials are not yet sure how the patient became infected with the virus.  Exposure may have occurred in Saudi Arabia, where outbreaks of MERS-CoV infection are occurring. Officials also do not know exactly how many people have had close contact with the patient.

So far, including this U.S. importation, there have been 401 confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection in 12 countries. [Note: Egypt has also recorded at least one case. Editor.]  To date, all reported cases have originated in six countries in the Arabian Peninsula.  Most of these people developed severe acute respiratory illness, with fever, cough, and shortness of breath; 93 people died. [Note: Confirmed death toll exceeds 102. Editor] Officials do not know where the virus came from or exactly how it spreads. There is no available vaccine or specific treatment recommended for the virus.

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 Cases – Since April 2012

• Egypt (see below)
• France
• Italy
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Malaysia
• Oman
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Tunisia
• United Kingdom (UK)
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• Unites States of America (USA)

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.

Egypt’s Reports First Case of MERS-CoV

Egypt reported its first case  of MERS last week. A man in his twenties who  had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, and showed symptoms of the infection, tested positive for MERS-CoV, according to a report.

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

• Saudi MERS Death Toll Reaches 102 April 28, 2014

Links to Other Infectious Dieases

• 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

Saudi MERS Death Toll Reaches 102

EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
DEADLY MERS
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8 more deaths and 16 new cases of MERS reported over 24 hrs in Arabia

The Saudi health ministry reported eight additional deaths and 16 new cases of MERS infections late Sunday.

The acting health minister said the latest fatalities had raised the total to 102 deaths. Meanwhile, the number of recorded infections have climbed to 339, with 143 new cases reported since April 1, a massive rise of 73 percent in just four weeks.

The previous Saudi health minister was fired last Monday amid the rising death toll, and a “lack of transparency.”

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 Cases – Since April 2012

• Egypt (see below)
• France
• Italy
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Malaysia
• Oman
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Tunisia
• United Kingdom (UK)
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)

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 have resigned so far this month after refusing to treat MERS patients for fear of infection, said reports.

Egypt’s Reports First Case of MERS-CoV

Egypt reported its first case  of MERS last week. A man in his twenties who  had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, and showed symptoms of the infection, tested positive for MERS-CoV, according to a report.

29 U.S. States Report Deadly PED

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PED could seriously threaten U.S. pork production

The highly contagious disease called porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) has killed about 5 million U.S. hogs since it was first diagnosed in May 2013 and seriously threatens pork production across the country.

In March, environmental groups urged Gov. McCrory to declare a state of emergency in North Carolina due to a rapidly-spreading viral outbreak that had affected about a third of the state’s 3,000 major hog farms.

About 6,000 separate cases of the virus have been reported in 29 states across the nation. The U.S. has about 68,300 hog farms, according to USDA.

Virus Strain PC21A is a  highly contagious coronavirus that causes porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED). It was first reported in the United States in May 2013 in Iowa.  The porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has since spread rapidly throughout the U.S., according to reports filed with CDC.

Iowa is the top hog producer state in the U.S., followed by North Carolina.

Electron micrograph of a US porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) particle detected in a field fecal sample collected during a 2013 outbreak of PED on a farm in Ohio, USA; the fecal sample from which PEDV strain PC21A in this study was detected was from a pig on the same farm during the same outbreak. The sample was negatively stained with 3% phosphotungstic acid. Scale bar = 50 nm. Source: CDC – “Pathology of US Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Strain PC21A in Gnotobiotic Pigs”

The most seriously at risk populations are piglets less than 10 days old.

The virus, thriving in cold, wet weather, kills newborn piglets on infected farms until the herd develops immunity after a few weeks, and is affecting about 100 new farms each week. PED causes severe dehydration and loss of appetite and has a nearly 100 percent mortality rate.

Water Quality

“The water-quality watchdogs say they are particularly worried that hog farmers are burying massive numbers of dead animals where they will contaminate groundwater. Also, they say that in some cases dead hogs are left for days, piled in overflowing ‘dead boxes.’ They say the blood and other liquids from those are seeping into groundwater and streams, and that animals feeding on the dead hogs are spreading the virus,” said the report.

The environmentalists have urged the authorities to collect and disseminate more information concerning

• Numbers of dead hogs
• Method and of disposal and burial sites of infected carcases
• Magnitude and extent of threat posed by the epidemic

“Basically we just feel like this is a serious enough problem that the government should be stepping in and getting involved and having direct contact with the facilities that are disposing of these dead hogs,” said Gray Jernigan, a North Carolina-based staff attorney for the Waterkeeper Alliance.

“Since the outbreak began, we’ve certainly seen more hogs sent for disposal and gotten reports of mass burials, and it’s getting to the point where it’s fairly alarming.”

More of this report is posted HERE.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED)

New Variant of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus, United States, 2014 (CDC)

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) was first reported in the United Kingdom in 1971. The disease was characterized by severe enteritis, vomiting, watery diarrhea, dehydration, and a high mortality rate among swine. Subsequently, the causative agent of PED was identified as porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), which belongs to the family Coronaviridae and contains an enveloped, single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome.

PEDV has been reported in many other countries, including Germany, France, Switzerland, Hungary, Italy, China, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam  and was first identified in the United States in May 2013.

By the end of January of 2014, the outbreak had occurred in 23 US states, where 2,692 confirmed cases (www.aasv.org/news/story.php?id = 6989) caused severe economic losses. Recent studies have shown that all PEDV strains in the United States are clustered together in 1 clade within the subgenogroup 2a and are closely related to a strain from China, AH2012 .

In the state of Ohio, the first PED case was identified in June of 2013; since then, thousands of cases have been confirmed by the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. […]

Value of Trade in Swine and Swine Products
In 2011, the United States exported 1.75 billion metric tons of pork and related products worth $5.32 billion (The American Meat Institute, 2013).  Japan and Mexico are the two leading importers of U.S. pork products by value, said USDA.

PED in Japan

The deadly virus has already infected about 250,000 pigs in Japan, killing at least 50,000 of them, as of April 20,2014.

The disease was confirmed in Okinawa last October and has since spread to hundreds of pig farms in 21 prefectures throughout Japan.

Related Links

• Viral Hog Epidemic Outbreak in NC March 1, 2014
• Thousands of Dead Pigs Dumped in Shanghai River March 11, 2013

Drought, Rainstorms Affect Millions across CHINA

Global Disasters/ Significant Events – Sunday 12  May 2013

Drought Affecting 3.58 Million Hectares of Farmland

Scorching drought in China’s western and central regions has affected at least 3.58 million hectares of farmland, [that’s an area the size of Taiwan,] drought relief authorities said.

• Affected land used to grow crops totaled 2.13 million hectares, lower than the average acreage of 6.3 million hectares over the past few years, according to a statement from the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.”

• At least 5.54 million people and 3.99 million livestock in the two drought-stricken regions are currently short of drinking water, the report said.

Rainstorms Destroy Thousands of Homes, Affect one million in southern and eastern China

Extreme Rain Events have battered southern and eastern China since last week, destroying thousands of homes, and affecting at least a million people, said a report.

As of Saturday, rainstorms have affected about 850,000 people, toppled more than 2,200 homes and forced 14,000 citizens to relocate in Hunan.

Rainstorms have affected about 196,800 people in east China’s Jiangxi Province, local authorities said Saturday.

As of 11 p.m. Friday, the heavy rain, which started from Tuesday, has battered 26 counties in Jiangxi, the provincial flood prevention and drought control headquarters said.

The storms have destroyed about 20,000 hectares of crops, and left tens of thousands displaced.

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events 

Calif. Homes Sinking In Volcanic Grounds, Lakeport Community Evacuated

Homes in Lake County, about 100 miles north of San Francisco, are breaking apart and sinking into cavernous fractures that had first appeared as cracks in the ground.

“We have a dormant volcano, and I’m certain a lot of things that happen here (in Lake County) are as a result of that, but we don’t know about that,” county public works director Scott De Leon told Yahoo News.

Associated Press/Rich Pedroncelli – In this photo taken Monday, May 6, 2013 Robin and Scott Spivey walk past the wreckage of their Tudor-style dream home they had to abandon when the ground gave way causing it to drop 10 feet below the street in Lakeport, Calif. Officials believe that water that has bubbled to the surface is playing a role, in the collapse of the hillside subdivision that has forced the evacuation of 10 homes and the notice of imminent evacuation of another 10 in this upscale subdivision. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli). More images…

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At least 40 killed, 100 injured as explosions shake Turkish town

At least 46 people were killed and 100 others injured, 50 of them seriously, after 3 powerful explosions shook the Turkish town of Reyhanli in the southern Turkish province of Hatay, near the border with Syria, authorities have said.

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Yet another deadly coal mine blast in China

Death toll from a coal mine explosion on Saturday in southwest China’s Sichuan Province rose to 27, local authorities said.

• The blast occurred in Taozigou colliery, Luxian County in the city of Luzhou, according to officials.

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Bangladesh death toll rises to 1125

Death toll from the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory complex in Bangladesh rose to 1,126 by 3:00pm ( local time) on Sunday, after 16 additional bodies were discovered in the rubble, 19 days after the building collapsed, officials said.

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Novel Coronavirus Kills 2 More People in Saudi Arabia

Two more people have died from novel coronavirus (nCoV) in an outbreak in al-Ahsa region of Saudi Arabia, Reuters quoted a Saudi official as saying.

• The latest cluster of infections includes 15 confirmed cases, including 9 deaths, the official has reported.

From April 2012 to [May 8, 2013,] a total of 33 people from Saudi Arabia [2 others reported dead on May 12,] Qatar, Jordan, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and France were confirmed to have an infection caused by the novel coronavirus, CDC reported.

• Saudi Arabia: 24 people; 13 of them died  [at least 15 dead as of May 12, 2013]
• Qatar: 2 people; both survived
• Jordan: 2 people; both died
• UK: 3 people; 2 died, 1 recovered
• UAE: 1 person; died
• France: 1 person, receiving treatment

Coronaviruses are a cause of the common cold. A coronavirus also was the cause of the severe respiratory illness called SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). SARS caused a global epidemic in 2003, but there have not been any known cases of SARS since 2004. This novel coronavirus is not the same coronavirus that caused SARS. —CDC

We know this virus has infected people since 2012, but we don’t know where this virus lives. We know that when people get infected, many of them develop severe pneumonia. What we don’t know is how often people might develop mild disease. We also know that most of the persons who have been infected so far have been older men, often with other medical conditions. We are not sure why we are seeing this pattern and if it will change over time. —WHO

The greatest global concern, however, is about the potential for this new virus to spread. This is partly because the virus has already caused severe disease in multiple countries, although in small numbers, and has persisted in the region since 2012. Of most concern, however, is the fact that the different clusters seen in multiple countries increasingly support the hypothesis that when there is close contact this novel coronavirus can transmit from person-to-person. This pattern of person-to- person transmission has remained limited to some small clusters and so far, there is no evidence that this virus has the capacity to sustain generalized transmission in communities. —WHO

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DISASTER CALENDAR – May 12, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,035 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,035 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

Unusual Mortality Event (UME) Declared for California Sea Lions

It’s going to be a bad year or two for sea lions – Biologist

More dying sea lion have stranded themselves on SoCal beaches since January 2013 than in the previous five years combined. “It’s going to be a bad year or two for sea lions,” said a wildlife biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Beginning in January 2013, elevated strandings of California sea lion pups have been observed in Southern California (Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties). The area with the highest reported stranding rates is currently Los Angeles County, followed by Orange County, and strandings are increasing in San Diego County.

The increase of sea lion strandings continues and has intensified over the last few weeks. Live sea lion strandings are nearly three times higher than the historical average.

“We anticipate this will get worse when the pups begin to wean from their mothers and have to forage on their own.” NMF biologist said.

“The oddest part of this is the pups should have been with their mothers,” the biologist said. “We think the mothers are having to go out farther and stay out longer to find food and the pups begin to forage on their own after they’ve been alone for some time.”

Live California sea lion historical stranding rates for 2008-2012 (admits to rehabilitation facilities from Jan 1-March 31). Data for 2013 is as of March 24, 2013.  Source: NOAA FISHERIES

At least 948 sea lion pups have stranded themselves on SoCal beaches between January 1 and March 24, 2013, with the largest number, 395 pups, reported in the Los Angele County.

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Death toll from novel coronavirus (nCoV) reaches 11: World Health Organization (WHO)

A new confirmed case of novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection has been reported, said WHO.

• The patient was a 73-year-old male from United Arab Emirates, who was transferred from a hospital in Abu Dhabi to Munich by air ambulance on 19 March 2013. He died on 26 March 2013.

• WHO has been informed of a global total of 17 confirmed cases of human infection with nCoV, including 11 deaths as of March 26, 2013.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that includes viruses that may cause a range of illnesses in humans, from the common cold to SARS. Viruses of this family also cause a number of animal diseases. -CDC

This colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) reveals the “rosettelike” appearance of the matured SARS-CoV (coronavirus) particles (arrows). See PHIL 6400 for a black and white version for this image. Credit: CDC/ Dr. Mary Ng Mah Lee, National University of Singapore, Singapore.