As
of mid- May 2013, World Health Organization (WHO) had been informed of 40
laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with the novel coronavirus
globally and this includes 20 deaths, in the countries: Jordan, France,
Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. For uniformity and to
facilitate communication, this virus has been named by the Coronavirus
Study Group of the International Committee on Taxonomy of
Viruses as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
Albeit
limited number of documented cases, the morbidity and mortality due to MERS-CoV
infection are alarming and a cause of concern about healthcare providers. While
a few cases had developed mild presentations, most had severe acute respiratory
disorder and of these, 50% were fatal.
Geographical
distribution and transmission
So
far, the infection has been reportedly geographically linked to the Arabian
Peninsula and 2 small clusters of human-to-human transmission, from imported
cases with travel history to the Arabian Peninsula, have been observed in
Europe. WHO was informed of 2 laboratory-confirmed cases in health care workers
exposed to patients with MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia. This leads to the concern
about the virus’s ability to adapt to human to human transmission and calls for
the need to close monitoring. The source of infection is not yet known.
Recommendations
from WHO
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