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Our Perspective on MERS CoV: May 7, 2013
Yesterday’s report that a healthcare facility in Saudi Arabia was harboring a cluster of 13 people infected with the novel coronavirus—now named MERS-CoV, for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus—raises the possibility that human-to-human transmission of this virus is occurring. There is no definitive treatment for MERS-CoV.
Until now, it has been thought that only limited transmission of this virus between humans has occurred, with 2 confirmed cases in the United Kingdom (UK). To date, there are 30 cases of MERS-CoV confirmed, with 18 deaths. All but the 2 cases in the UK have originated in the Middle East nations of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, or the United Arab Emirates.1
An unnamed healthcare facility in Saudi Arabia has reported 13 patients infected with MERS-CoV; 7 of those patients have died. Illness onset occurred between April 4 and May 1, making human transmission probable, as exposure to suspected reservoir species would not be expected to occur in a healthcare facility. Additionally, the length of time between cases is adequate for in-hospital transmission to occur. It is less likely, based on the available information, that all 13 individuals had exposure to an infected animal source over such a long period of time. One prior experience with MERS-CoV in Jordan at a healthcare facility last year resulted in 2 confirmed and 11 probable cases, the majority of which were healthcare workers.[1]
The evolving outbreak of MERS-CoV bears some similarity to the SARS outbreak in 2003. Points of similarity include the following:
At this point, there are several key differences between SARS and this virus:
As more information on the Saudi healthcare cluster is released, including clinical, epidemiologic, and surveillance details, the pattern of transmission and the potential for this virus to cause a wider outbreak will become more clear.