The World Health Organization (WHO) verified a case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in a 28-year-old male from Al Ain City in Abu Dhabi on Monday (July 24) after being contacted by the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier this month (July 10).
Between June 3 and 7, the patient visited a private medical center many times, complaining of vomiting, right flank pain, and dysuria (pain when passing pee).
He was in severe condition on the 13th of June and was transferred to an intensive care unit (ICU) at a specialized government tertiary hospital, where he was placed on mechanical ventilation.
Despite having no history of dromedary, goat, or sheep contact, the man’s nasopharyngeal swab tested positive for MERS-CoV in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis on June 23.
As soon as the test result came positive, UAE health officials identified all 108 of the patient’s contacts and monitored them for 14 days from the date of last exposure to the MERS-CoV patient. Fortunately, no secondary cases were discovered.
Before the patient’s illness, the last MERS-CoV infection in the UAE was recorded in November 2021. Meanwhile, in the Gulf country, the first case was reported in July 2013. Since then, 94 instances have been reported, with 12 deaths, with a Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) of 13%.
Since the case was reported, the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) has modified its disease description, increased surveillance to identify potential instances, and held many workshops.
What exactly is MERS?
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a human and dromedary respiratory infection caused by a new coronavirus known as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). It was discovered for the first time in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
Coronaviruses, in particular, are a broad family of viruses that cause diseases ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Similar to COVID-19, a person with underlying chronic medical illnesses such as diabetes, renal failure, chronic lung disease, or a weakened immune system exhibits severe virus symptoms. They are more likely to die than the general population.
“Clinical severity may be related to MERS-CoV’s ability to infect a broad range of cells with DPP4 expression, evade the host innate immune response, and induce cytokine dysregulation,” Clinical Microbiology Reviews (CMR) noted in its assessment.
What are the virus’s origins?
Despite being discovered over a decade ago, scientists are still unaware of the virus’s origins. According to various studies including virus genome research, MERS-Cov may have started in bats and was passed to camels in the distant past.
“Human-to-human transmission is possible, but only a few such transmissions have been found among family members living in the same household. In health care settings, however, human-to-human transmission appears to be more frequent,” WHO states in its report.
What are the signs and symptoms of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus?
According to the WHO, typical MERS symptoms include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. Pneumonia is prevalent, however, it does not always occur. Diarrhea and other gastrointestinal issues have also been recorded.
If the disease persists, it might cause respiratory failure, necessitating mechanical ventilation and rapid admission to an intensive care unit.
What is the treatment?
To cut a long tale short, there is no specific treatment for the infection. MERS-CoV does not have a vaccine, unlike SARS, which has been intensively investigated and has various vaccines, including mRNA-based vaccines. The majority of the time, the treatment is supportive and tailored to the patient’s medical condition.
“Supportive treatment with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and dialysis is often required in patients with organ failure. Antivirals with potent in vitro activities include neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, antiviral peptides, interferons, mycophenolic acid, and lopinavir,” CMR stated in a study.
What safeguards should be taken?
As a general rule, avoid visiting places containing animals, such as farms, markets, and barns, especially if dromedary camels are present.
If one does end up in such settings, however, one should adopt general hygiene procedures, such as thorough hand washing before and after contacting animals. At all costs, avoid contact with sick animals.
How many incidents have been documented?
According to WHO data, MERS-CoV infections have been detected in 27 countries since 2012. During this time, a total of 2,605 cases and 936 associated deaths have been reported, the data showed.
According to WHO, 35% of MERS-CoV patients may have died since the virus’s detection. Following the identification of the case in the UAE, where the patient did not have any co-morbidities, the WHO alerted member states to keep a close eye on the virus for any potential epidemic.
