MERS arrival in yet another country raises concerns about global preparedness

A respiratory virus that originates in the Middle East and has been hopscotching the globe for three years has landed in yet another country, just as international health officials are raising concerns about the conditions that allow it to spread.

The virus is called MERS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, and this morning Thai officials revealed that it has landed there via a medical tourist from the Persian Gulf state of Oman, who arrived in Bangkok to be treated for a heart condition. Three family members traveled with him, and all four are under quarantine, while passengers who sat near them on their flight are being sought and watched.

The Thai discovery happened to come one day after an emergency committee empaneled by the WHO expressed concern over how quickly MERS blew up in another of those countries, South Korea. Except among disease obsessives, that outbreak has not been much noticed—but just since May, 164 people in South Korea have been confirmed ill and 23 have died, and a known-infected patient has migrated from South Korea to China. More than 10,000 Koreans were or are in quarantine either in hospitals or at home, including a village that was shut off from the world despite experiencing just one case.

In a report and press conference, the WHO committee—which despite having “emergency” in its name was meeting for the 9th time in two years—said that the virus spread mostly through hospital contact because of inadequate protective measures.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: MERS Virus Migrates to One More Country. What Will Contain It?

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