A new Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
(Mers-CoV) virus patient has been confirmed in the UAE, according to
World Health Organization.
The patient - a 78-year-old man - was
suffering from fever, cough and shortness of breath since May 4 and was
brought to hospital on May 13. He had recently travelled to Saudi Arabia
and also owned a camel farm in Gayathi, UAE, which he visited on daily
basis, WHO said on Tuesday.
Also suffering from hypertension and
interstitial lung disease as underlying conditions, the patient was
tested positive for Mers-CoV at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical Centre
laboratory and is currently in stable condition at the hospital.
This is the first Mers case in the UAE reported in 2018.
Globally, 2,207 laboratory-confirmed cases of
Mers-CoV, including 787 MERS associated deaths have occurred since
September 2012. So far, 16 cases of Mers have been reported to WHO in
2018 with one each in the UAE, Oman, Malaysia and the remaining in the
Saudi Arabia.
Infection with Mers-CoV can cause severe
disease resulting in high mortality. Humans are infected with Mers-CoV
from direct or indirect contact with dromedary camels. The virus has
also demonstrated the ability to transmit between humans.
WHO "expects that additional cases of Mers-CoV
infection will be reported from the Middle East, and that cases will
continue to be exported to other countries by individuals who might
acquire the infection after exposure to animals or animal products," it
said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the WHO, the Communicable Disease
Department in UAE is in coordination with the animal authorities to
initiate camel testing at the patient's farm in UAE.
However, it said that it is not always
possible to identify patients with Mers-CoV infection early because,
like other respiratory infections, the early symptoms of Mers are
non-specific. Therefore, healthcare workers should always apply standard
precautions consistently with all patients, regardless of their
diagnosis.
It advised that until more is understood about
Mers-CoV, people with diabetes, renal failure, chronic lung disease,
and immunocompromised persons are considered to be at high risk of
severe disease from Mers-CoV infection. Therefore, in addition to
avoiding close contact with suspected or confirmed human cases of the
disease, people with these conditions should avoid close contact with
animals, particularly camels, when visiting farms, markets, or barn
areas where the virus is known to be potentially circulating. General
hygiene measures, such as regular hand washing before and after touching
animals and avoiding contact with sick animals, should be adhered to.
It further added that food hygiene practices
should be observed. People should avoid drinking raw camel milk or camel
urine, or eating meat that has not been properly cooked.
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