Middle
East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) as it is called, is a viral
respiratory disease that is new to humans, caused by a coronavirus
(MERS‐CoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. MERS
affects the respiratory system (lungs and breathing tubes).
According to the WHO, only 26 countries have been affected so far. These countries are:
From the Middle East: Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen;
Europe: Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Kingdom (UK);
Africa: Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt;
Asia: China, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, the Philippines and Thailand;
Americas: The United States of America.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
A typical case of MERS shows the following symptoms:
• Fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath.
• Pneumonia is a common finding on examination.
• Gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhoea.
• Most MERS patients developed severe acute respiratory illness.
Severe illness can cause respiratory failure that requires mechanical ventilation and support in an intensive‐care unit.
Some patients have had organ failure, especially of the kidneys, or septic shock.
The
virus appears to cause more severe disease in people with weakened
immune systems, older people, and those with such chronic diseases as
diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease.
According to the CDC, about 3-4 out of every 10 patients reported with MERS have died.
IMPORTANT WARNING!!!
Not
every infected person shows symptoms. According to the WHO, infected
persons with no symptoms have been found because they were tested for
MERS‐CoV during follow‐up studies of contacts of people with MERS
infection.
How do you prevent yourself from getting infected?
Read PROTECTING YOURSELF FROM THE MERS DISEASE, to know the preventive measures and treatments that are available for MERS.
#STAYHEALTHY
#STAYALIVE
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