- MERS - how do you get infected?
- MERS - symptoms
- MERS - treatment
- MERS - how to protect yourself from infection?
- MERS and SARS
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MERS-CoV (mCoV virus) is one of the strains of coronaviruses that is deadly. It causes severe respiratory infection and kidney failure. According to the World He alth Organization (WHO), the virus is dangerous to both humans and animals. How can you get infected with the nCoV virus? What are the symptoms of infection? What is the treatment?
Contents:
- MERS - how do you get infected?
- MERS - symptoms
- MERS - treatment
- MERS - how to protect yourself from infection?
- MERS and SARS
MERS(Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) is caused by thenCoV virus(aka MERS-CoV) - a virus that belongs to the coronavirus family. These viruses in humans can contribute to the development of various diseases, ranging from the common cold to life-threatening diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or flu-like illness leading to respiratory failure or pneumonia caused by virus virus 2022-nCoV, known as the Wuhan coronavirus.
The first confirmed case of human infection with the nCoV virus was found in 2012 in the Middle East. The ill - a 49-year-old citizen of Qatar - was transported to a hospital in Great Britain, but died of acute respiratory disease and kidney failure.
In May 2013, a group of experts from the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses proposed a name for the disease entity caused by nCoV - Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which was approved by the World He alth Organization (WHO).
According to information provided by WHO and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) worldwide, as of October 2, 2014, a total of 888 laboratory-confirmed Mers-CoV cases were registered, including 353 deaths.
All illnesses were directly related to the stay in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula or indirectly result from contact with people infected with the new virus and staying on the Arabian Peninsula. So far, most of the cases concern people living on the Arabian Peninsula.
22 cases of cases occurred in countries outside the Middle East, i.e. in the United KingdomBritain, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Austria, Tunisia, Algeria, Malaysia, the Philippines and the USA.
The virus struck again in May 2015 in South Korea. Until June 19, 2015, 166 people fell ill and 24 died. Over 2.3 thousand people were quarantined. people.
MERS - how do you get infected?
According to the results of recent studies, the most likely source of nCoV are dromedary camels, the virus of which is found in respiratory secretions, faeces, urine and milk.
Young animals can be more contagious. According to experts, the chances of contracting this virus are small. However, they warn that the virus may mutate and then become more contagious and spread easily from person to person.
Transmission of the virus has been observed among family members of sick people and among he alth care workers caring for the sick. However, the exact mode of infection is unknown, and there is no evidence of persistent transmission of the virus to humans who have not been in direct contact with patients. It can be assumed that the virus is transmitted from one person to another by airborne droplets.
People traveling to the Middle East must be aware that there is a possibility of infection.
MERS - symptoms
Acute, serious diseases of the respiratory system appear most often, including:
- fever
- cough
- shortness of breath
Most of the infected patients developed severe pneumonia and required hospital care.
In addition, the patients developed gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.
There have also been reports of mild or asymptomatic cases.
MERS - treatment
There is currently no vaccine or causal treatment for MERS. Only symptomatic treatment is available, depending on the patient's condition. WHO informs that research on vaccines against the virus is underway.
In Poland, testing for nCoV infection can be performed at the National Institute of Public He alth - PZH.
MERS - how to protect yourself from infection?
To avoid contamination:
- avoid contact with sick people;
- follow the rules of personal hygiene, including washing your hands frequently with water and soap;
- when traveling, have an antibacterial hand gel or a supply of disposable wipes saturated with an alcohol solution;
- avoid touching eyes, mouth, nose with contaminated hands;
- observe the rules of good breathing (when coughing and sneezing, cover your nose and mouth with a tissuedisposable);
- avoid all contact with animals (domestic, farm and wild) and their faeces, especially when traveling abroad;
Tourists should read the information on the WHO website regarding warnings for pilgrims traveling to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (to Umra and Hajj)1 .
MERS and SARS
Although both viruses belong to the same family, their effects on the human body differ significantly. The new strain of the nCoV coronavirus is more aggressive - it replicates faster than SARS and is able to penetrate the barrier created by the immune system as easily as the virus that causes a cold. In addition, the nCoV virus is much more deadly than SARS, as every second infected person dies.