Just today, the World Health Organization has published its new disease outbreak bulletin. Six new cases of Mers have been reported and this time, some of them are in the United Arab Emirates.
An emergency committee has been convened by the WHO's director general. The Director has decided that conditions for a public health emergency of international concern has not yet been meet.
The Director however reiterated that the situation is of great concern, although it is not currently a public health emergency.
These items were presented as being in need of further scrutiny or action:
Improvements in surveillance, lab capacity, contact tracing and serological investigation
Infection prevention and control and clinical management
Travel-related guidance
Risk communications
Research studies (epidemiological, clinical and animal)
Improved data collection and the need to ensure full and timely reporting of all confirmed and probable cases of MERS-CoV to WHO in accordance with the IHR (2005).
The six new confirmed cases, laboratory confirmed, of which two in Saudi Arabia and four in the United Arab Emirates, brings the total to 88 confirmed cases.
Interestingly, the two Saudi cases seem to be mild. Their ages are 26 and 42 respectively.
The UAE cases, two of them are asymptomatic, while the remaining had mild upper respiratory symptoms.
Both Saudi cases were a consequence of close contact with a previously infected person.
Since screening of people that are in contact with laboratory cases is under way, the overall picture and the mortality rate of the virus might change from the present 50% rate.
No screening points have yet been ordered for MERS. However, preparations in the case of a wider spread of the disease are being made.
Source : World Health Organizaton/ 7.18.13
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