New virus to be called MERS-CoV

SurfieTX

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As of 15 May 2013, WHO had been informed of a global total of 40 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with novel coronavirus, including 20 deaths, in 6 countries: France, Germany, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.

Standardized name
Since the discovery of the virus, scientific literature, databases and the media have used various names for it. To provide uniformity and facilitate communication about the disease, the Coronavirus Study Group of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses has decided to call the new virus Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). WHO and other Committee members strongly urge the use of this name in scientific and other communications. The standardized name was announced in the “Journal of Virology” on 15 May.

Morbidity
Although the number of cases documented is limited, the morbidity and mortality from MERS-CoV infection are alarming. A few of the known cases developed mild disease, but most patients have presented with a severe acute respiratory condition requiring hospitalization, and half have died.

***I have heard RUMORS that the CDC has been out at Saint Luke's in NYC for cases of this here recently. The CDC has confirmed they have been to Saint Luke's, but not why.****

http://www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-...avirus-update-new-virus-to-be-called-mers-cov
 
The World Health Organization has issued a blunt assessment of the coronavirus outbreak in Saudi Arabia, acknowledging for the first time that there are concerns the virus may be spreading from person to person, at least in a limited way.

The statement called for urgent investigations to find the source of the virus and learn how it is infecting people. And it reminded countries they have a duty to the international community to rapidly report cases and related information to the WHO.

The worrying appraisal of the situation was echoed in a revised risk assessment issued Friday by the European Centre for Disease Control. It warned hospitals in Europe to be on the lookout for coronavirus cases coming in by air ambulance, saying the numbers of such patients may rise if the public in affected countries are afraid to seek care in their own hospitals.

The warnings come as health leaders from around the world are gathering in Geneva for the World Health Assembly, the annual general meeting of the WHO. The eight-day meeting begins Monday.

Though other nations have not publicly pressed leaders of coronavirus-affected countries for more transparency to date, it is likely that concerns about the virus and the opaque way investigations into it are being handled will be aired during the meeting.

http://globalnews.ca/news/573833/wh...spreading-calls-for-urgent-search-for-source/
 
A colleague of mine just confirmed a report of this in the U.S. Of course, due to HIPAA, I can't say where and she can't tell me.

ETA: She just sent me a message and said it was not NY, but a state on the northern border of the US.
 
Coronaviruses are scary. The SARS outbreak was caused by one such coronavirus, and one of the truly frightening things about them is the length of time they can remain active on surfaces. Many of the SARS victims were thought to have acquired the infection from elevator buttons in a hotel in Hong Kong.
 
I’ve also been following the MERS-CoV outbreak and it’s definitely one to watch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MERS-CoV

In addition to Jordan, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, France, and Tunis, it has now spread to Italy.

The Frenchman who came back from the United Arab Emirates and came down with it gave it to his hospital roommate…

A 45-year-old man returned to Italy from a visit to Jordan and came down with symptoms and has since given it to a coworker and two-year-old child (who is a family member).

Here is today’s World Health Organization MERS-CoV update:

http://www.who.int/csr/don/don_updates/en/index.html

The good news is that it doesn’t seem to be very easy to contract or a lot more people would have it.

The bad news is that:
1) it is obviously spreading person-to-person
2) as of June 2, 2013, of the 53 laboratory confirmed cases, 30 have died.
 
Notice - the nearly 60% mortality rate. Truly frightening.

Strangely enough, I work part-time as an adjunct faculty member for a university nursing program. One of the things I do is grade a paper students in the Global Health course are required to write about the epidemiology of SARS. This new ('novel') coronavirus is particularly vicious. I feel there are more to come, unfortunately.
 
Notice - the nearly 60% mortality rate. Truly frightening.

Strangely enough, I work part-time as an adjunct faculty member for a university nursing program. One of the things I do is grade a paper students in the Global Health course are required to write about the epidemiology of SARS. This new ('novel') coronavirus is particularly vicious. I feel there are more to come, unfortunately.

I'm afraid so too...

It could be the mortality rate is lower if people with a milder case of it aren't getting tested...still though....

It makes me really nervous that the Italian gave it to two people...
 
Camels may be source of Middle East's Sars-like virus

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/09/camels-middle-east-respiratory-syndrome-coronavirus

Tests on a group of 50 retired racing camels in Oman proved 100% positive. Every camel had antibodies in its blood that suggested it had at some point been in contact with MERS-CoV. The animals came from various places in Oman, suggesting the virus or one like it was widespread in camels across the country, said the researchers in their paper in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.

"In the Middle East, huge numbers of camels are imported from Africa to meet the demand for meat," they write. "The top five camel breeding countries are all African, and Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are in the top five camel-meat producing countries."

A genetic change in the virus or some change in the environment or in agricultural practices might have enabled the virus to move into man, he said.
 
The first U.S. case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus has been reported in Indiana, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

The patient is a health-care provider who recently traveled to Saudi Arabia to provide health care, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon general with the U.S. Public Health Service and director for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

The person, an American male, traveled on April 24 from Riyadh to London, then to Chicago, and took a bus to Indiana, officials said. He began experiencing shortness of breath, coughing, and fever on April 27, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/02/health/indiana-mers/
 
http://www.in.gov/activecalendar/mobile/mobiledetail.aspx?iid=200566

"On April 24, the patient traveled by plane from 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 increasing respiratory symptoms, including shortness of breath, coughing, and fever. The patient visited the Emergency Department at Community Hospital in Munster on April 28 and was admitted that same day.

The patient is being well cared for, is isolated and is in stable condition. Because of the patient’s symptoms and travel history, physicians at the hospital decided a MERS-CoV test was appropriate.

Community Hospital in Munster has contacted all high-risk individuals. In an abundance of caution, individuals who visited the Emergency Department (ED) of Community Hospital in Munster between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on April 28, 2014 should watch for signs and symptoms. If you visited the ED during this time and begin experiencing symptoms, please call your healthcare provider and let them know about your possible exposure to MERS-CoV."
 
It was 3 days from his flight until he began experiencing severe symptoms. I cannot imagine how many people could have possibly been infected by the Indiana patient, although experts say it is not easily passed from person to person. I wonder about the cough spreading the virus, however.

How does the CDC even begin to find people who took the same bus to Indiana as the patient?

If we consider the 1918 lethal flu pandemic that infected 1/3 of the world's population -most likely because of WWI and troop contact - with today's closer global contacts, it's really frightening.

The CDC has issued general precautions such as frequent hand-washing, avoiding close contact with infected people (a "duh" statement), avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, and disinfecting surfaces that are frequently touched.

This is the best we can do for now.
 
It was 3 days from his flight until he began experiencing severe symptoms. I cannot imagine how many people could have possibly been infected by the Indiana patient, although experts say it is not easily passed from person to person. I wonder about the cough spreading the virus, however.

How does the CDC even begin to find people who took the same bus to Indiana as the patient?

If we consider the 1918 lethal flu pandemic that infected 1/3 of the world's population -most likely because of WWI and troop contact - with today's closer global contacts, it's really frightening.

The CDC has issued general precautions such as frequent hand-washing, avoiding close contact with infected people (a "duh" statement), avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, and disinfecting surfaces that are frequently touched.

This is the best we can do for now.

Yes, fortunately it is not easily spread at this point. I'm concerned for the people who were in the emergency room when he was as he was experiencing acute symptoms. He was in the ER for three hours. I wonder how much time elapsed before they put him in isolation. How long did healthcare workers care for him without protective equipment, not realizing what they were dealing with?
 
If he's a healthcare provider then why didn't he know what he could be dealing with , trained by who he worked for to know, and call ahead and arrange isolation!
 
If he's a healthcare provider then why didn't he know what he could be dealing with , trained by who he worked for to know, and call ahead and arrange isolation!

Exactly what I was wondering. He was working in Saudi Arabia where this virus has been most active. Around a quarter of all cases documented (if I'm remembering correctly) have occurred there in just the last month. He had to suspect it. Maybe he did, but the hospital was slow to act. I'm sure we don't have the whole story yet.
 
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/update-set-1st-us-mers-virus-case-indiana-23590094

The first American citizen diagnosed with a mysterious virus from the Middle East is improving daily and could be released soon from an Indiana hospital, although he will be isolated at home, health officials said Monday.

snip..

While health officials said the virus is not highly contagious, the hospital isolated at home 50 employees identified as having come in contact with the man before he was diagnosed, said Dr. Alan Kumar, chief medical information officer at Community Hospital, where the man has been treated.

See more at link....
 
Have they said just why it's not that easy to catch if coughing is going on and spreading droplets into the air?
 
Have they said just why it's not that easy to catch if coughing is going on and spreading droplets into the air?

My understanding is that this virus only infects a certain type of cell in the lungs. This type of cell only accounts for 20% of the cells in the lungs. In order to become infected, a person would have to have inhale a lot of virus to get sick. That is why prolonged, close contact with an infected person is necessary for transmission. The concern is that the virus will mutate and become more easily transmitted. There has been an uptick in cases in Saudi Arabia over the last month or so and they aren't sure why.
 
Yes, fortunately it is not easily spread at this point. I'm concerned for the people who were in the emergency room when he was as he was experiencing acute symptoms. He was in the ER for three hours. I wonder how much time elapsed before they put him in isolation. How long did healthcare workers care for him without protective equipment, not realizing what they were dealing with?

Generally, when a person presents to an ER or Triage Unit coughing, sneezing etc...they are (or should be) given a mask to wear immediately. This is standard practice where I work and I hope it was the case here.
 
he second imported case of the deadly MERS respiratory virus in the United States has been confirmed in Florida, the Centers for Disease Control announced Monday.

The CDC and the Florida department of Health are investigating the latest case of the virus, known as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. The CDC did not elaborate on the specific location or background of the latest incident, which first broke on Twitter.

Officials from the CDC and the Florida Department of Health scheduled a 2 p.m. ET news conference to discuss the latest case.

By designating the latest case as "imported," the CDC indicated that it was brought in from outside the United States.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ast-respiratory-syndrome-cdc-florida/8998043/
 

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