[Plantagenet]

The Deadly MERS virus is spreading rapidly from Saudi Arabia to other countries in the middle east. There is no known cure.

the-deadly-mers-virus-is-spreading-at-a-terrifying-rate

New data suggests the MERS virus has also been spread to other countries by Moslem pilgrims who came to KSA for the haj. Some haji evidently became infected with the virus in KSA and brought it back with them to their home countries, where MERS cases are now being reported


I sure hope nobody in this crowd has the MERS virus......

[Newfie]

Not good. Thanks for he link.

[Tanada]

Given the relatively large Muslim faith community in Michigan about 50 miles from here and the large number of adherents who travel the Hajj pilgrimage each year this is a serious concern for the health authorities around here as well. The Islamic Center of Toledo has one of the largest Mosques in the area as well, and that is a lot closer than 50 miles. I wish all my neighbors good health and hope we can nip this disease in the early stage before too many are seriously affected.

[dsula]

Given the relatively large Muslim faith community in Michigan about 50 miles from here and the large number of adherents who travel the Hajj pilgrimage each year this is a serious concern for the health authorities around here as well. The Islamic Center of Toledo has one of the largest Mosques in the area as well, and that is a lot closer than 50 miles. I wish all my neighbors good health and hope we can nip this disease in the early stage before too many are seriously affected.

Importing muslims is never a good idea. They always end up spelling trouble.

[Quinny]

Dsula Bringing Islamophobia to a district near you

Given the relatively large Muslim faith community in Michigan about 50 miles from here and the large number of adherents who travel the Hajj pilgrimage each year this is a serious concern for the health authorities around here as well. The Islamic Center of Toledo has one of the largest Mosques in the area as well, and that is a lot closer than 50 miles. I wish all my neighbors good health and hope we can nip this disease in the early stage before too many are seriously affected.

Importing muslims is never a good idea. They always end up spelling trouble.

[PrestonSturges]

We don't want the Irish. They're carriers of the potato blight.

[Plantagenet]

MERS (middle-eastern respiratory syndrome) is a medical issue, not a religious issue. Any non-Muslim who went on haj to Mecca might also have contracted MERS, and could now be infecting others with MERS in his home country.

[Tanada]

MERS (middle-eastern respiratory syndrome) is a medical issue, not a religious issue. Any non-Muslim who went on haj to Mecca might also have contracted MERS, and could now be infecting others with MERS in his home country.

Technically true, but given the very active discouragement used to persuade non-muslims from going on Hajj I doubt there is much of a disease vector there. On the other hand a lot of aircraft have flown a lot of people all over the world stuck together in metal tubes breathing each others air since this outbreak began, and many of them changed to connecting flights at an intermediate airport during their journeys. It is almost a miracle at this point in time that diseases which are airborne do not hitch hike all over the planet before we even know there could be a problem.

[Plantagenet]

Four more MERS deaths and 36 new MERS infections reported from KSA today.

more-saudi-arabia-mers-deaths

Also, a Turk who went to Mecca on haj has MERS, confirming that haji are potential disease vectors back to their own countries.


cough cough!

MERS is deadly air-borne disease. I can't think of a worse place for a deadly air-borne disease then the haj, where a million people crowd in as close as possible to one-another ---all seeking to approach and kiss the black stone called the kaaba, and then disperse back to their own countries.

Its an epidemiological nightmare!

[PrestonSturges]

SARS was a coronavirus that jumped from Asia to the Toronto area. It was much, much worse than the American public knew. It was airborne, extremely contagious and deadly, and it killed Canadian doctors and nurses who were taking precautions against contagious disease. It wasn't Ebola killing clinic workers who didn't even have gloves and masks.

SARS got into the air system and killed people who'd never had contact with the patients. And it killed people in ways that there was no way to save them - it just dissolved their lungs.

[dsula]

I sure hope nobody in this crowd has the MERS virus......

Wow. Picture a small nuke dropped into the middle right there. How sweet would that be.

[PrestonSturges]

It's not mecca that's the problem, it's the airline flights.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CLdsA5c65dI/T ... smorse.jpg

[Plantagenet]

It is not always possible to identify patients with MERS-CoV early because some have mild or unusual symptoms. For this reason, it is important that health-care workers apply standard precautions consistently with all patients – regardless of their diagnosis – in all work practices all the time.

Droplet precautions should be added to the standard precautions when providing care to all patients with symptoms of acute respiratory infection. Contact precautions and eye protection should be added when caring for probable or confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection. Airborne precautions should be applied when performing aerosol generating procedures...

Health-care providers are advised to maintain vigilance. Recent travellers returning from the Middle East who develop SARI should be tested for MERS-CoV as advised in the current surveillance recommendations. All Member States are reminded to promptly assess and notify WHO of any new case of infection with MERS-CoV, along with information about potential exposures that may have resulted in infection and a description of the clinical course. Investigation into the source of exposure should promptly be initiated to identify the mode of exposure, so that further transmission of the virus can be prevented.

---World health Organisation

[PrestonSturges]

Watch out for this guy on the plane


12 Monkeys

[Plantagenet]

Now more than 300 MERS cases in KSA

KSA MERS BAD

[Plantagenet]

More than 75% of camels in KSA have MERS

MERS comes from camels

The camel - MERS connections is getting stronger. MERS may have gotten into the human population after humans ate camel meat. But clearly after MERS got into the population it has been spreading by human-to-human contact.

[Tanada]

Camel meat has been a middle eastern food course since prehistoric times so transmissability between humans is the real change here. Don't you just shudder when a long know disease evolves to use humans as a host? It makes a good strategy in this case, there are billions of humans on Earth and only 100,000 or so camels if you count all the related species like Bactrians and Llamas and Vicunas

[Plantagenet]

MERS reaches the USA

American being treated for MERS

An American healthcare worker who became infected with MERS in KSA has returned to the USA for treatment.

[Plantagenet]

The American with MERS flew from KSA to Heathrow, transferred there and flew from London to Chicago, and then got on a bus to Indiana. Shortly after arriving in Indiana he felt ill and went to a clinic where he was diagnosed with MERS.

Authorities are trying to determine who came in contact with him along his route.


The MERS virus

[Plantagenet]

The CDC has told all Americans who travel to the ME and return to the USA and then develop a cough to go their doctor and tell them they've just been in the ME

That way they can quickly be tested for MERS. Of course, MERS is fatal and incurable, but at least then you'd know what your medical issue is.


Tell me.....have you been in the middle east recently?