MERS-CoV - Going after the camels

      Just over 6 years ago, in the mountains of Saudi Arabia a 60 year old man came into Dr. Zaki's clinic complaining presenting symptoms of pneumonia and rectal failure. He first tested the virus as possibly as influenza of an adenovirus, but it after farther analysis, was found to be a new type of corona virus- now known as Middle-East respiratory syndrome coronavirus MERS-CoV.

     Since this disease was first detected there have been over 2000 confirmed cases with a morbidity rate of over 35% and is far more deadly than any other acute respiratory infection. Unlike other emerging infectious diseases, like Ebola or Zika, MERS has not received the same amount of media attention or is as commonly known. Possibly because 80% of its cases occur in Saudi Arabia, or that its main resevoir is the single(not double) humped camel. 

   While MERS has not adapted to have human to human transmission, but outbreaks have now been observed in 27 countries, even in Korea, showing that the disease has the potential of soon spreading far around the world. In order to stop the transmission of MERS the Saudi Government has started hosting drive through checks for the disease at hospitals, and also has started field trials with the Jenner institute of a camel vaccine to stop the transmission between humans and their domesticated and wild camel counterparts.
- Chris