MERS virus of concern before Haj -WHO
June 21 Arab News 4
The deadly MERS virus remains a serious public health problem,
especially with the approach of haj pilgrimages, but a recent surge in
Saudi cases of the respiratory disease appears to be abating, the World
Health Organization said .
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, which causes
coughing, fever and sometimes fatal pneumonia, has been reported in more
than 800 patients, mainly in Saudi Arabia.It has spread to neighboring
countries and, in a few cases, to Europe, Asia and the United States. At
least 315 people worldwide have died from the disease.In a statement
issued after the 6th meeting of its MERS emergency committee, the WHO
said a surge in cases in Saudi Arabia that began in April has now
decreased and "there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human
transmission in communities".
"There have been significant efforts made to strengthen infection
prevention and control measures," it said. As a result, "the committee
unanimously concluded that the conditions for a Public Health Emergency
of International Concern (PHEIC) have not yet been met".Global health
regulations define a PHEIC as an extraordinary event that poses a risk
to other WHO member states through the international spread of disease,
and which may require a coordinated international response.
The WHO stressed, however, that the MERS situation continued to be
"of concern", especially given an anticipated increase in travel to
Saudi Arabia related to the pilgrimages and religious festivals of Umra,
Ramadan and the haj.
The WHO's assistant director general for health security, Keiji
Fukuda, said the committee had urged vulnerable countries, especially
those in Africa, to take concrete action ahead of Umra, Ramadan and haj
with basic public health measures such as conducting surveillance for
MERS, raising awareness about it and implementing basic infection
prevention and control measures.
Millions of people travel to Mecca each year for the haj, the
pilgrimage which all Muslims must perform at least once in their
lifetime, if they are able. This year's will take place in October.David
Heyman, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and one of the most prominent
critics of Riyadh's handling of the MERS outbreak, said it was
"unfortunate and tragic" that people are still getting infected, getting
sick and dying form the virus almost two full years after it was first
identified in humans.
"Case control studies, where risk factors for transmission of this
virus from nature to humans, are necessary and could help determine the
way or ways in which people are becoming infected, and this information
could be used to stop primary infections," he said.
Fukuda said such studies were now in the process of being carried out
in Saudi Arabia, and welcomed fresh efforts by authorities there to get
on top of the outbreak.MERS has been linked to camels, which many
scientists think may be a major source of infection in people.
Hundreds of new MERS infections were contracted by patients and
health workers in hospitals in Saudi Arabia during recent months. |