Medizone Intl. (fka MZEIQ)

[Tane61]

Twenty (20) HAIs Medizone COULD NOT have prevented...

nor any other 'no-touch' automated room disinfection system. No silver bullet!

MERS-CoV – another outbreak in Saudi

MERS-CoV or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, has gone off-of-the-radar in the European and US media; however, the problem remains in Middle eastern countries and in particular Saudi Arabia, where people continue to become infected and die.

On the 19th June, the WHO reported an outbreak of MERS-CoV in Riyadh City. From the 12th June to 22nd June, 34 cases of MERS-CoV were reported, of which at least one patient has died and several others are in critical condition within ICU. Approximately 75% of the cases were reported in Riyadh and roughly half of the infected patients were healthcare workers.

According to the WHO reports, the outbreak occurred due to a female patient being admitted to a Riyadh hospital with non-MERS related symptoms, but in fact the lady was infected with MERS. The MERS infection was undiagnosed and the patient was treated in the Emergency department and then transferred to a multi-bed ward within the vascular surgery department. By the time the MERS infection was diagnosed, the patient had come into contact with at least 49 health care workers and other patients. Of the contacts who have been traced, twenty tested positive for MERS.

According to the WHO, since Sept 2012 there have been 1,768 confirmed diagnoses of MERS-CoV and 630 notified deaths. The actual number of cases and death rate is probably far higher, as many infections and deaths may go unreported.

This new outbreak, which is on-going, again serves to show the high transmissibility and virulence of the MERS coronavirus. Isolation of infected patients is critical and healthcare workers should always employ standard contact precautions when treating any patients showing respiratory symptoms.

www.bioquell.com/en-uk/media-centre/blog/all-categories/mers-cov-another-outbreak-saudi/