Thursday, May 15, 2014

Saudi Arabia: 10 More People Die of MERS - Total Number of Cases Now Over 500

DOHA (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said that 10 more people infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) had died over the last two days and identified 20 new cases of the virus, pushing the total number of infections in the country to 511.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fla health workers test negative for MERS virus
The Florida Department of Health says all health care workers who came into contact with a Saudi resident infected with the second confirmed MERS case in the U.S. have tested negative for the rare virus.
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Doctor tests negative for MERS
TORONTO—A doctor who travelled to Canada after having contact with Florida’s first MERS patient has tested negative for the virus, the Public Health Agency of Canada said yesterday.
The unidentified man is being asked to stay in the country for several more days until officials feel confident he isn’t infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome virus and that it is safe for him to travel.

It can take as long as 14-16 days to develop MERS disease and the negative test—while a good sign—is not clear-cut proof he isn’t coming down with the infection.

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2nd MERS case confirmed in Netherlands
The cases in the Netherlands involve two family members who had traveled together to Saudi Arabia.

It is one man and one woman who contracted the disease, said Harald Wychgel, spokesman for the Netherlands ministry of health.

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AP: Saudis question Mecca preparedness as MERS spreads
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Officials in Saudi Arabia are raising alarm that the kingdom is not doing enough to prevent Mecca from becoming a route for exporting an often deadly respiratory virus as millions of Muslims from around the world converge on the city to perform pilgrimage at Islam's holiest site.
The country has seen the most infections worldwide by far — more than 500 since 2012 — and in past weeks the numbers have accelerated with several deaths reported nearly every day and new infections often numbering in the double digits.
[Begs the question . . .why so many deaths in SA?]
Only one medical facility in Mecca — the King Abdullah Medical City — is equipped to handle MERS cases, according to Ismail Mohammed, the director-general of another hospital in the city, Umm Al Qura.
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Anonymous said...

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Note: MERS involves both respiratory difficulties as well as gastric distress (vomit & diarrhea). There are Muslims that either are not familiar with Western toilets, or manage to enforce dhimmitude to accomodate their preferences. Instead they squat and defecate/urinate into holes in the ground.

Over the last decade or so of reading of the cultural impact to Western nations,. . .toileting habits/preferences is just one of the unsavory & disturbing issues

example 1,

example 2

People complained about the condition of local toilets because Muslims would wash their feet in the bathroom sink . . .as well as stand on the toilet seat to squat to defecate/urinate in the stalls.

Now consider the impact MERS adds to this mess.

Recall the second patient spent 4 hours in the hospital waiting area -- how often did he share the ER area bathroom(s)?

Anonymous said...

Boston.com: MERS Warnings Now Displayed in 22 U.S. Airports, Including Logan
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Scientific American: Deadly MERS Camel Virus Crosses Ocean to U.S.

Infection's spread is still limited, although cases have nearly tripled in past two months.
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Channel NewsAsia: New deaths take Saudi MERS toll to 160

Anonymous said...

The scary reason Saudi farmers are kissing camels despite MERS warnings

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/the-scary-reason-saudi-farmers-are-kissing-camels-despite-mers-warnings-20140517-zrfov.html#ixzz31w3sCGKp

Anonymous said...

Silently among us: Scientists worry about milder cases of MERS

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Scientists leading the fight against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome say the next critical front will be understanding how the virus behaves in people with milder infections, who may be spreading the illness without being aware they have it.

Establishing that may be critical to stopping the spread of MERS, which emerged in the Middle East in 2012 and has so far infected more than 500 patients in Saudi Arabia alone. It kills about 30 percent of those who are infected.

Anonymous said...

Rechecking prior links in the MERS topic, there is a distinct contradiction in the description of the second MERS patient's symptoms...


Reported May 12th: Officials: 2nd US case of MERS reported
Health officials now must track down fellow travelers who were around the newest case, and this time it will be more challenging: There were more flights involved.
He traveled on May 1 on flights
from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,
first to London,
then to Boston,
then to Atlanta,
and finally to Orlando.
He went to a hospital on May 8 and was placed in isolation. . . As early as the first flight, the latest case was suffering fever, chills and a slight cough

*****vs.*****

YahooNews May 16th

It took the patient more than a week before he sought help in an emergency department in Orlando, Florida. Once he arrived, he waited nearly 12 hours in the ER before staff recognized a MERS link and placed him in an isolation room. The patient did not have signs of a respiratory infection, not even a cough.[ID:nL1N0O002W]

****fever, chills, slight cough on first flight vs. no signs of respiratory infection, not even a cough.*****
Who to believe?