Middle East Respriatory Syndrome

Learning about and preparing for what now appears to be the "Great H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic of 2009"
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gerald
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Joined: Sat May 02, 2009 10:34 pm

Middle East Respriatory Syndrome

Post by gerald »

"When you look at a typical influenza virus, for example seasonal flu, where you have millions and millions of people infected, the mortality is less than one percent, a fraction of a percent. The mortality for this if you do the math is 50 cases and you have 30 deaths, so you are talking about a 60 percent mortality already," said Fauci.

http://www.voanews.com/content/global-c ... 74403.html


WHO Warns Saudi Coronavirus Spreading,
Concerns Grow Over This Year's Hajj
June 1, 2013

What You Need to Know
Returning to a story we covered extensively last week, the director-general of the United Nations' World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan, this week stated that the new Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus” (MERS-CoV), is a "threat to the entire world". She went onto say that we understand too little about this virus when viewed against the magnitude of its potential threat and more information is needed quickly and urgently. "We do not know where the virus hides in nature. We do not know how people are getting infected. These are alarm bells. And we must respond."
While official figures have put the number of people infected at just 50, more than half whom have died, public health officials believe there are scores more. In addition, Saudi health authorities are reporting that health care workers treating the coronavirus patients are themselves becoming ill.

According to the CDC, the MERS coronavirus acts like a cold virus and attacks the respiratory system. Symptoms which include fever and a cough, are severe and can lead to pneumonia and kidney failure. A variety of gastrointestinal symptoms have also been seen. In addition, the medical journal The Lancet reports this week that the incubation period for the virus is between 9 and 12 days.

Researchers report it is not yet known how humans contract the virus. Cases have been identified in eight countries including Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). France, Germany, Tunisia and the U.K. At this time, the WHO has not recommended travel or trade restrictions.

The Hajj

Given the apparent source point for this new virus, health officials worldwide are beginning to express extreme concerns over this year's Hajj in Saudi Arabia, slated for the middle of October. One of the five pillars of Islam, every practicing Muslim worldwide is urged to complete at least one Hajj pilgrimage in their lifetime. Thus, every year, millions of Muslims gather in the Saudi city of Mecca during one seven day period.

Public health and epidemiological professionals tend to cringe each year when the Hajj rolls around. It goes without saying that when millions of international travelers from all points on the globe converge in one city for a physically active, horrendously overcrowded, hot and humid gathering involving communal shaving, touching common surfaces and staying in tightly packed quarters, one is considered lucky to leave without having contracted some respiratory or digestive bug, if not worse. Even a cursory search of the Internet shows that cholera, pneumonia, meningitis, all forms of hepatitis, measles, mumps, typhoid, dysentery and a host of other communicable diseases run rampant during the Hajj. Then the Pilgrims, just a quickly, return to their countries of origin.
http://threatjournal.com/archive/tj06012013.html

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