Saudi MERS outbreak

According to CBC news on June 20, Saudi MERS outbreak shows SARS-like symptoms and MERS coronavirus is a high attack rate virus. MERS stands for Middle East respiratory syndrome. Symptoms of MERS infection include renal failure and severe acute pneumonia which often cause death. MERS erupted this spring in four hospitals in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and now it becomes more serious than spring.

MERS has the close symptoms like SARS which outbreak in 2003 and infected more than 8400 people over 31 countries, killing at least 916 people. The other same feature between these two diseases is they are all contagious in hospital and difficult to diagnosis. Scientists said if MERS contagious earlier in the course of illness, it will be hard to treat. MERS is contagious in hospital,so it is a challenge for health professionals. The reason is many patients stay in hospital and they have compromised immune system. Patients will be easy to infect this virus. Doctors and nurses look after many patients everyday, and they have a high risk of getting the disease and transmit to their patients. The best way to control infection is washing hands. Most of the virus will be eliminated by hand hygiene.

Traveling is other way to transmit virus. If people go to Saudi, they need to be caution of their healthy. If they feel uncomfortable, they are better to see the doctor as early as they can. Making sure hand hygiene is also important when people travel. If people get MERS, they may need to be isolated in hospital for treatment.

I believed the World Health Organization will do better this time than SARS outbreak because they have some experiences.