Several more cases of MERS-CoV have arisen in Saudi Arabia
this week. As of December 6, three male patients with ages ranging from 24-78
years old have contracted the disease. So far all the patients are in stable
condition. There is no information out about the spread of the virus, but each
reported case is from a different city. MERS-CoV can be spread human-to-human
through respiratory or direct transmission, and can also be spread through
zoonosis. It is thought to have originated from camels.
MERS symptoms include coughing, fever, and shortness of
breath. It sometimes presents with gastrointestinal symptoms. MERS can progress
to a more serious disease, and cause effects like respiratory compromise and
liver or kidney failure. The disease has a fairly high mortality rate, three out of ten diagnosed cases die, although
many of those who have expired because of MERS had an underlying condition or
immunocompromise. MERS-CoV has infected people from all ages. It has an
incubation period of 5-6 days. So far, there have only been two cases of MERS in
the United States. It is an ongoing problem in the Middle East, and is
especially prevalent in Saudi Arabia.
MERS-CoV is a coronavirus, but seems most closely related to
coronaviruses identified in bats similar to SARS-CoV. This is opposed to common
human coronaviruses like 229E, which cause mild respiratory illness around the
world.
See here for updates of incidence in Saudi Arabia:
See here for general information about MERS:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/about/index.html
Picture credit:
http://www.euroimmunblog.com/mers-outbreak-in-the-asian-pacific-region/
Elisa Hofmeister ‘18
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