Breaking News: New SARS like illness in Middle East

Advisory

Consider the possibility of MERS-CoV infection in travelers with fever, cough, shortness of breath, or breathing difficulties, or other symptoms suggesting an infection, and with a recent history of travel in the Middle East.

Facts about the disease

·         A novel coronavirus, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), causing severe respiratory illness emerged in 2012 in Saudi Arabia.

·         Additional cases have been detected subsequently in Saudi Arabia, other Arabian Peninsula countries, Tunisia, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy.

·         Real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction is the test of choice applied to lower respiratory secretions.

·         Individuals presenting with an acute respiratory infection, suspicion of pulmonary parenchymal disease, history of travel to the Arabian Peninsula or neighboring countries within the past 14 days, and no other explanation for the clinical syndrome are considered patients under investigation.

·         There is currently no treatment recommended for coronavirus infections except for supportive care.

·         The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of standard, contact, and airborne precautions for the management of hospitalized patients with known or suspected MERS-CoV infection.

·         There is no licensed vaccine for MERS-CoV.

Precautions

·      Avoid close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections

·      Frequent handwashing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment.

·      Adhering to food safety and hygiene rules such as avoiding undercooked meats, raw fruits and vegetables (unless they have been peeled), and unsafe water

·      Avoid close contact with live farm animals or wild animals.

·      Travelers to the Middle East who develop symptoms either during travel or after their return should seek medical attention and share their history of travel.

·      People with symptoms of acute respiratory infection should practice cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands) and delay travel until they are no longer symptomatic