Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) – An update

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) – An update Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness, caused by coronaviruscalled “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus” (MERS-CoV). It was first reported on 24 September 2012 byan Egyptianvirologist, Dr. Ali Mohamed Zaki inJeddah,Saudi Arabia. (1) The symptoms of MERS-CoV infection are fever, cough, and shortness of breath and later on development of severe acute respiratory illness. Gastrointestinal symptoms as diarrhea and vomiting have also reported among the patients. About half of the patients MERS die. Severe complications include renal failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with shock. Severely immunocompromised patients can present with atypical signs and symptoms. (2) MERS-CoV is a betacoronavirus. The virus spreads from person to person who are in close contact.Transmission from infected patients to healthcare personnel has also been observed. Persons at risk are elderly people age 65 years or above, children, pregnant women, persons with chronic diseases and weakened immune system. (3) Bats and camels were considered as zoonotic reservoir, but world organization for Animal Health (OIE) announced that “currently there is no strong evidence that camels are source of infection for human cases of MERS. (4, 5) Lab tests (polymerase chain reaction or PCR) for MERS-CoV is available. There is no specific treatment for MERS-CoV, only supportive and symptomatic treatment is offered to the patient. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with partners in countries having epidemic of MERS-CoV to better understand the risk factor of this virus, its mode of spread and possible preventive measures against it. (6)