PROTECTING YOURSELF FROM THE MERS DISEASE

It is important that you know some things first, before we move on to the preventive measures. The question that should first come to your mind here is WHY SHOULD I PROTECT MYSELF?

#1: It is not yet fully understood how people become infected with the MERS‐CoV.

#2: The source of the MERS-CoV is not yet fully clear. Only a few animals (e.g camels) have been suspected to be possible reservoirs.

#3: No vaccine or specific treatment is currently available.

The MERS-CoV can be transmitted from animals to humans (though this is not yet fully understood). However, the virus does not appear to pass easily from person to person unless there is close contact, such as providing unprotected care to an infected patient.

MERS , THE NEWEST PLAGUE IN TOWN

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);