The MERS Attack
Various illnesses and diseases have continually threatened the
existence of mankind on earth. These are the results of the ever-changing
environment that have managed to produce viruses and bacteria that impose
health hazards to the human body. One of the more recent illnesses is the
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) wherein its first
outbreak happened in Jordan. It is more commonly referred as nCoV or novel
coronavirus or in other publications, it has come to earn the term Saudi SARS.
It was first detected from a sixty year old man who was
suffering from acute pneumonia and acute renal failure and is identified as the
sixth type of coronavirus that is similar to that of the SARS. This has gained
the attention of people worldwide due to the high mortality rate despite a
short period of time. Due to this, in 2013, the World Health Organization has
called it a threat to the entire world. Its effects are not only felt in the
Middle East. Cases in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Kingdom, France and
Italy have been reported including deaths of some.
Symptoms
MERS-CoV is compared to SARS, which had its outbreak years
before worldwide. Infection with this virus usually results in fatality due to
its symptoms, which are renal failure and severe acute pneumonia. Other
symptoms include fever and diarrhea.
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| The MERS |
Illness
A person suffering from this illness resulted in organ failures
that will eventually require the help of machines that can perform these organs’
functions. The patient will eventually need mechanical ventilation due to
respiratory failure and dialysis because of renal failure. Other infections
that may also occur during the course of the illness are influenza herpes
simplex and pneumococcus.
The virus is believed to be a cause of human-to-human
transmission as the confirmed cases among patients are among relatives and of
people staying in the same health care units. Though it is yet to be confirmed
whether its spread is through sporadic means, experts believe that the risk of
sustained person to person transmission appears to be low and therefore, a
large number of virions need to be inhaled in order to be affected.
MERS-CoV as Worldwide
Threat
It
is undeniable that MERS-CoV is a big threat to the entire world. This is
because it is a respiratory illness wherein people might not need to have
direct contact with an affected person to be infected. The number of fatalities
is continuously rising and half of the confirmed cases resulted in death. This
alarming fatality rate has increased the urgency for the experts to develop a
vaccine that will hamper its spread just like what happened to SARS. The
development of a vaccine is likely to occur once its origin has thoroughly been
detected.
The
WHO is trying to remedy this situation by determining its true mode of
transmission and mapping its geographic risk areas. The illness’ key
characteristics, symptoms and incubation period, which is currently 14 days,
are still being studied in order to create an efficient vaccine that will stop
this health threat to mankind. Medical establishments are more wary of people
who have existing respiratory illnesses who may have been potentially been
infected by the virus.
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