Med Mal News

Researchers have analyzed the spread of a a virus known as MERS (Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome)-CoV, which was first recognized in September 2012 in specimens obtained from a Saudi Arabian man who died there of acute respiratory and renal failure.' Their results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in June. Ziad A. Memish, M.D., et. al., “Family Cluster of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infectione,” N Engl J Med 2013; 368:2487-2494 June 27, 2013 DOI:10.1056/NEJMoa1303729.

According to the article, “MERS-CoV appears to be as virulent as SARS-CoV but is distinguished by the relative absence of severe disease among the close contacts of patients, except among those with immunosuppression.” Specifically, the first four patients to be identified with the illness were three men and one adolescent boy from the same extended family. They ate and socialized together, and the second, third and fourth victims visited those previously hospitalized prior to becoming sick themselves. None of the 125 healthcare providers involved in the four patients' care contracted MERS-CoV. As of May 28, 49 people worldwide had contracted the infection, 26 of whom have died. Most cases were observed in the Middle East, though there have also been deaths associated with MERS-CoV in Europe and northern Africa whose origins were tracable to Middle-East travelers. The authors conclude that although MERS-CoV is apparently not as easily passed on to others as was SARS-CoV when it emerged in 2003, a patient with a respiratory infection who has visited a Middle Eastern country within 10 days of becoming ill should raise a red flag for healthcare providers.