MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome): First Case Identified in United States (Indiana) Since Its Discovery In 2012 The good news is that you are likely to hear about MERS, but unlikely to contact it, particularly if the government falls stays ahead in its preventative role and in the discovery of a vaccine to counter it. What is it and how did it arrive in the U.S.? ABC World News (5/2/2014) Diane Sawyer reported that the patient “had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, flying to Chicago, taking a bus to Indiana.” Now “he is in isolation in an Indiana hospital.” “There’s no evidence the virus has spread here in the US, but the CDC will not breathe a sigh of relief until they’ve contacted all passengers on that plane and bus.” Per USA Today (usatoday/story/news/nation/2014/05/04/mers-saudi-arabia-riyadh-cdc-infection-disease/8696985/): “Since MERS appeared two years ago, the World Health Organization has confirmed infections in 262 people,” 93 of whom “have died.” Another “100 people have tested positive for the disease but are not included in the health organization’s tally, according to” Dr. Schuchat. So at the moment, its a relatively rare flu-like disease, mostly confined to the Arabian peninsula (Saudi Arabia and south). If someone has traveled there and within 2 weeks (usual incubation period is 5 days from contact to symptoms) and develops fever, cough or shortness of breath within 2 weeks, they are advised to see a physician according to a report on NPR (npr.org/blogs/health/2014/05/02/309038651/mers-virus-comes-to-us-but-risk-to-public-is-deemed-low). Respiratory support and isolation may be required. So theres something new for the vaccine companies to start working on as its not covered by the flu vaccine shots. The government will have to take the lead as the numbers are so small that most companies would not likely do this research without such support. Basic research continues to be important on our planet.
Posted on: Mon, 05 May 2014 14:16:42 +0000
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