WHO confirms 6 addtional MERS cases in KSA ,UAE
Printed From: Avian Flu Talk
Category: Main Forums
Forum Name: Latest News
Forum Description: (Latest Breaking News)
URL: http://www.avianflutalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=29903
Printed Date: April 19 2024 at 4:18pm
Topic: WHO confirms 6 addtional MERS cases in KSA ,UAE
Posted By: Guests
Subject: WHO confirms 6 addtional MERS cases in KSA ,UAE
Date Posted: July 18 2013 at 11:23am
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) - update18 July 2013 - WHO has been informed of six additional laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Of these, two cases have been reported from Saudi Arabia and four from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Both the cases in Saudi Arabia have mild symptoms and are not hospitalized. They are from Asir region. The first case is a 26-year-old man who is a close contact with a previously laboratory-confirmed case and the second case is a 42-year-old woman who is a health care worker. In the UAE, the four cases are health care workers from two hospitals in Abu Dhabi who took care of an earlier laboratory-confirmed patient. Of these, two cases, a 28-year-old man and 30-year-old woman, did not develop symptoms of illness. The other two cases, both women of 30 and 40 years old, had mild upper respiratory symptoms and are in stable condition. http://www.who.int/csr/don/2013_07_18/en/index. - http://www.who.int/csr/don/2013_07_18/en/index.html |
Replies:
Posted By: Kyle
Date Posted: July 18 2013 at 12:18pm
| Seems to be that there is an increase in a asymptomatic cases. I immagine those without symptoms aren't being quarantined?? If that is the truth there could be more cases without symptoms as health care workers are constantly going around from patient to patient. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: July 18 2013 at 1:49pm
Yeah that's what I have noticed also. There may well be quite a few more asymptomatic cases that are not counted and that additionally may be spreading the virus unknowingly. That's my take anyway.
|
Kyle wrote:Posted By: Pixie
Date Posted: July 18 2013 at 1:57pm
|
WHO spoke to soon "The WHO is drawing up advice on travel in relation to coronavirus, to be issued in coming days." Six new MERS coronavirus cases reported in UAE, Saudi
GENEVA (Reuters) - Health authorities in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have reported six new cases of the SARS-like coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. The latest infections of four women and two men aged between 26 and 42 bring the global total to 88 cases, including 45 deaths, the United Nations agency said in a statement. Five of the six new cases were health workers and the other was a man who came in close contact with someone who had been infected with the disease, which is known as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, or MERS, WHO said. Millions are expected to travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia in October for the haj pilgrimage. Saudi authorities have cut the number of visas this year, citing safety concerns over expansion work at the main mosque site. The WHO is drawing up advice on travel in relation to coronavirus, to be issued in coming days. It urged health care providers to be vigilant for severe acute respiratory infections and test any recent travelers from the Middle East suffering from such infections for MERS. The global health body has set up an emergency committee of independent experts on MERS, who said on Wednesday it was not a "public health emergency of international concern" for the time being. The committee can make recommendations on travel and trade restrictions, increased disease surveillance and exchange of data. Two of the new coronavirus cases in Abu Dhabi and both cases in Saudi Arabia displayed mild symptoms. The other two in Abu Dhabi had no symptoms of the disease. Cases have also been found in Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Britain, France, Italy and Germany. (Reporting |
Posted By: Kyle
Date Posted: July 18 2013 at 2:14pm
|
I guess some good news is there hasn't been more deaths recorded but that could change very quick. Maybe it's evolving to become more easily transmissible but less deadly?? |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: July 18 2013 at 2:37pm
|
That's a distinct possibility. But with the MERS case fatality rate at 56%, even a 2/3 reduction in the fatality rate leaves you with a 19% fatality rate. If it becomes widespread due to asymptomatic and light cases then that case fatality rate would eventually rise as the health care system gets overwhelmed and the level of care available degrades if in fact the virus did become more prolific and less virulent. |
Posted By: arirish
Date Posted: July 18 2013 at 2:47pm
|
I read an article not long ago that said there are some 5 million guest workers in KSA and thousands of them go home for Ramadan. Most of them are from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and the Philippines. Most of these countries are over crowded and have poor health care systems. Hope WHO hasn't waited too long! ------------- Buy more ammo! |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: July 18 2013 at 3:28pm
| And how many countries out of all those countries you mentioned have multiple flights into the US on a daily basis? Asymptomatic cases and all. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: July 18 2013 at 7:25pm
|
Viewing the WHO report from Keiji Fukuda yesterday it seem clear that Saudi Arabia is taking MERS very seriously. I believe they are more aggressive on the topic and seem to be putting more efforts into testing than any other country. This makes sense since they have the most cases. In saying this i believe even they are still under reporting/discovering cases. I would love to see someone run pandemic simulation software with just the Saudi cases. Excluding other countries could give a differing result. Does anyone have access to this software or know people who can run test or maybe make comment about this. (It would also pay to mess with some fudge numbers based around under reporting asymptomatic cases.) The reason for this, is i suspect many other countries are not reporting asymptomatic MERS cases effectively. This maybe a combination of problems such that were eluded to by Keiji yesterday. Disorganized with testing, cant get the correct serum, maybe don't understand the level of threat, under funded medical systems etc etc. Gotta say. I was quite shocked at the amateur nature of the WHO's press conference. They were using some crappy room with crappy cheap desks. They used poor filming. the whole thing reeked of cheap and nasty. They didn't look like the organisation which held the worlds life in its hands.. I don't really have a lot of faith in the WHO. They seem to be under funded and disorganized. I actually think this MERS virus is moving too fast for them to get a handle on it. I believe yesterdays talk was a fence sitting operation just to buy them time. The following should be the canary down the coal mine. It is for me anyway: as stated above Five of the six new cases were health workers and the other was a man who came in close contact with someone who had been infected with the disease, which is known as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, or MERS, WHO said It really strikes me as odd that five of the six cases were health care workers. Yes they are coming into close contact with sick people so they would be more likely to contract the illness. The thing is these cases were either mild or asymptomatic. How many other friends and family members have had minor cases and just go unreported. It seems to me that finding many health care workers getting sick with mild cases but not finding proportionately the same amount of general public who have also had close contact with the sick rings alarm bells! My suggestion is this virus has vastly many more asymptomatic cases which really tips the scales into Pandemic territory! |
Posted By: EdwinSm,
Date Posted: July 18 2013 at 10:14pm
|
Two more serious cases (ie in ICU) announced by the Saudi Ministry of Health: 18 July 2013 The first case is for a 41-old-year Saudi male in Riyadh. The second case is for a 59-year-old Saudi female in Al-Ahsa governorate. Both cases are at the ICU receiving the proper treatment. http://www.moh.gov.sa/en/HealthAwareness/Corona/PressReleases/Pages/MediaStatment-2013-07-18-001.aspx - http://www.moh.gov.sa/en/HealthAwareness/Corona/PressReleases/Pages/MediaStatment-2013-07-18-001.aspx |