Photo Credit WHO
# 7570
The World Health Organization published their 10th summary & literature update on the MERS Coronavirus today. Follow the link to read the entire update, including the list of recently published WHO Guidance, and recent peer-reviewed literature.
I’ve excerpted portions from the Summary Assessment below:
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) summary and literature update – as of 13 August 2013
(EXCERPT)
SUMMARY ASSESSMENT
Although new cases continue to occur in the Arabian Peninsula, no new exported cases have been reported since June despite a surge in pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to perform Umra during Ramadan. The KSA Ministry of Health also reports finding no MERS-CoV infections among pilgrims during their enhanced surveillance activities. However, as Ramadan ended on 8 August and the incubation period for MERS-CoV can be as long as 10 days or more, continued vigilance is suggested. It is notable that only one previously reported case became ill after a pilgrimage.
As case finding and contact tracing around cases increases, increasing numbers of secondary cases with mild disease have been reported, indicating a broader spectrum of disease than previously recognized. However, transmission continues to be limited in clusters and does not appear to be extending into the wider community. Although the pattern may be changing slightly, index and sporadic cases, that is, those presumed to have non-human exposures as a source of their infections, continue to be older and are more likely to be male than secondary cases.
While the recent report by Reusken et al. may provide a clue as to a potential source of human infection, it is important to definitively demonstrate the presence of MERS virus in camels to confirm that the virus producing the antibody response is the same as that seen in humans. It is also important to note that the study involved only camels from Oman; other species were not available for testing and as such it is premature to focus solely on camels as a potential source of infection in humans. The critical question that remains to be answered is what exposures and activities in humans place them in contact with the virus and result in infection. This question needs to be answered urgently to inform measures that will prevent transmission to humans. This study, and the demographic differences noted above in cases acquiring infection from non-human exposures, may help to guide future investigations.
