Mumbai on Mers alert - While water-borne diseases are on the rise here following the intensification of the monsoon, doctors and health officials are worried about the possible spread of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus (Mers-CoV). Acting on a circular issued by the union health ministry, the state government and the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) have advised doctors at all private hospitals and clinics to report cases of patients with respiratory infections not responding to normal treatment. Medical practitioners have to inform the authorities at the BMC, who will then ensure that samples are sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune. The government has also advised that cases of patients who have travelled to or from the Middle East and China and who show signs of respiratory discomfort should be reported and that they should be kept under surveillance. “It is very important that people who have travelled to or from the Middle East and China should seek treatment at the earliest signs of an ailment and not go for self-treatment,” Dr Om Shrivastav, director, infection disease control department, Jaslok hospital, and who is on the Maharashtra state advisory committee for swine flu, told Khaleej Times. Mers is a viral respiratory ailment caused by the Mers -CoV, a coronavirus. About 85 MERS cases have been reported worldwide and the disease has resulted in 45 deaths in eight countries. Saudi Arabia alone has reported about 66 cases. According to the medical fraternity here, Mumbai is at risk of contracting the Mers , especially considering the huge numbers of travellers between India and the Gulf and India and China. But unlike other H1N1 or swine flu, there are no specific medicines to treat the virus. Doctors administer Tamiflu to treat swine flu, but its effectiveness on Mers patients has not been consistent, says Shrivastav. The World Health Organisation has said that while the current Mers -CoV situation is serious and of great concern, it does constitute a public health emergency. Khaleej Tmes
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 23:36:17 +0000
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