What
is MERS?
A: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
is a viral respiratory illness. MERS is caused by
a coronavirus called “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus”
(MERS-CoV).
What
is MERS-CoV?
A: MERS-CoV is a beta coronavirus.
It was first reported in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. MERS-CoV used to be called
“novel coronavirus,” or “nCoV”. It is different from other coronaviruses that
have been found in people before.
What are the symptoms of MERS?
A: Most people who got infected with MERS-CoV developed severe acute
respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
About half of them died. Some people were reported as having a mild respiratory
illness.
Does MERS-CoV spread from person to person?
A: MERS-CoV has been shown to spread between people who are in close contact. Transmission from infected patients
to healthcare personnel has also been observed. Clusters of cases in Saudi
Arabia, Jordan, the UK, France, Tunisia, and Italy are being investigated.
Is there a vaccine?
A: No
What are the treatments?
A: There are no specific treatments for illnesses caused by MERS-CoV.
Medical care is supportive and to help relieve symptoms.
Why Doctors Are Calling It a "Threat to the Entire World"
- Margaret
Chan, the director-general of the World Health Organization, called
it "a threat to the entire world" in a speech given in
Geneva Switzerland.
- The
new virus has emerged quickly and worries health authorities because they
are unable to fully determine its qualities, effective treatments, or even
what the proper precautions to take against are.
- Health
authorities are attempting to meet this threat but much of the critical
information still remains unknown.
- Although
its name suggests that it is limited to the Middle East, cases have been
found in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Tunisia. The WHO
suspects that these are from people who received the disease in the other
countries it has been spotted in such as Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and
the United Arab Emirates.
Should India be
concerned ?
- The infection has now emerged as a serious cause for
concern, especially in India, as thousands are set to travel to Saudi
Arabia in the coming days for Umrah and Haj.
- Emerging evidence suggests Saudi Arabia as the apparent
geographic hub of the novel corona virus.
- Given the potential for the MERS virus to spread from human
to human through close contact and the scale of the international
pilgrimage gathering during Umrah and Haj, India and Kerala in particular,
is very much at risk of a potential public health emergency.
