# Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)



## Salekdarling (Aug 15, 2010)

Keep an eye on this strain. Especially with the Hajj (pilgrimage) happening in the fall, we could see an increase of cases, and spreading. Hopefully it'll be under control before then.

77 reported cases of MERS - 40 ended in death. You can look at a chart of the cases on the CDC's website. Link provided below.



> Like SARS, the MERS virus spreads between people via close contact, shared medical instruments, and coughing. Once inside the human lung, the MERS virus sparks a series of reactions that all but destroy normal lung function. Patients can descend into pneumonia so severe that they require machine-assisted breathing to stay alive, in as little as 12 days. Unlike SARS, the MERS virus is also capable of attacking the kidneys and can be passed on to others via exposure to contaminated urine. And for some of those who survive acute MERS, years of rehabilitation may be necessary, just like for some of the 2003 SARS victims.


Garrett, Laurie, and Maxine Builder. "The Middle East Plague Goes Global." Foreign Policy. The Washington Post Company, 28 June 2013. Web. 02 July 2013.

***CDC
***WHO
***New York Times


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

been watching this too. CDC talks about the bird flu more and its shot. I think that the MERS will become a greater threat. the only thing all of us can do is to stay as healthy as we can and pray best.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

stayingthegame said:


> been watching this too. CDC talks about the bird flu more and its shot. I think that the MERS will become a greater threat. the only thing all of us can do is to stay as healthy as we can and pray best.


And be prepared to quarantine yourself through the worst of an epidemic.


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## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

Salekdarling said:


> Keep an eye on this strain. Especially with the Hajj (pilgrimage) happening in the fall, we could see an increase of cases, and spreading. Hopefully it'll be under control before then.
> 
> 77 reported cases of MERS - 40 ended in death. You can look at a chart of the cases on the CDC's website. Link provided below.
> 
> ...


Nice to see you posting again.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

trouble is that DH and I are ems volunteers on a local fire dept. we get to the scene before the ambulance. :eyebulge:artydance:


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## Salekdarling (Aug 15, 2010)

Bobbb said:


> Nice to see you posting again.


Thanks Bobbb! I'm back and ready to annoy my PS family. :kiss:


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## Salekdarling (Aug 15, 2010)

stayingthegame said:


> trouble is that DH and I are ems volunteers on a local fire dept. we get to the scene before the ambulance. :eyebulge:artydance:


If we know that MERS is spreading, we'll take extra precautions as first responders and wear the proper protective gear. I'm already asking questions about gas masks in the gear section.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

http://www.vancouversun.com/health/...her+animal+involved+spread/8815730/story.html

*MERS virus isolated from bat; other animal may be involved in spread*



> Scientists from Saudi Arabia and the United States have found the MERS coronavirus in a bat in Saudi Arabia.
> 
> The scientists are reporting the finding in a paper published online today.
> 
> ...


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## Sybil6 (Jan 28, 2013)

Bats are hard to contain... They're not commonly tamed, so I'm confused in how someone could catch it from a bat. Birds are more understandable, because people feed birds as well as house them near their homes. Bat houses exist but not commonly.... I'm confused how someone could catch it from a bat without contact.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

That is yet to be determined - scientists think that there might be a couple more links that have to be explored. Something between the bats, the camels and ... who knows what else.

Could it be as simple as picking some fruit off of a tree that was touched by a bat, eating the fruit fresh right there (without washing it) and then rubbing your nose, moving the virus into the person's body?

It is good to know that the scientists are still following the trail ... I would love to find out more as details are released.


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## Sybil6 (Jan 28, 2013)

I didn't think about eating fruit, but then again I didn't think about bats infiltrating homes. I know that last year we had two bats in our crawl space. Having them in close contact may not be as weird as I thought.


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## Salekdarling (Aug 15, 2010)

NaeKid said:


> That is yet to be determined - scientists think that there might be a couple more links that have to be explored. Something between the bats, the camels and ... who knows what else.
> 
> Could it be as simple as picking some fruit off of a tree that was touched by a bat, eating the fruit fresh right there (without washing it) and then rubbing your nose, moving the virus into the person's body?
> 
> It is good to know that the scientists are still following the trail ... I would love to find out more as details are released.





> Many scientists believe, as Memish does, that another type of animal or animals is serving as a bridge, getting infected by bats and then transmitting the virus to people. But Rambaut believes it is possible that there is no other animal bridge. Bats might be infecting people indirectly by contaminating something people eat or drink, for instance.


Personally, I'd have to say some sort of contamination involved.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

stayingthegame said:


> trouble is that DH and I are ems volunteers on a local fire dept. we get to the scene before the ambulance. :eyebulge:artydance:


That's what personal protective equipment is for


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

*Camel tests positive for Mers virus*

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24901531

*Camel tests positive for Mers virus*



> Preliminary tests suggest the camel was infected with the same virus as its owner
> 
> A camel has tested positive for the Sars-like virus that emerged in the Middle East last year and has killed 64 people worldwide.
> 
> ...


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## Sybil6 (Jan 28, 2013)

I honestly don't buy the "not very contagious" bull crap. The reason it hasn't traveled much is how sparsely populated and how isolated the Middle East is.


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## hazeofanal (Sep 30, 2013)

NaeKid said:


> That is yet to be determined - scientists think that there might be a couple more links that have to be explored. Something between the bats, the camels and ... who knows what else.


They should watch the movie 'Contagion' for reference.  In the movie a bat infected a pig through a half-eaten fruit and then the pig was eaten at a restaurant and the virus was transferred to humans.



Sybil6 said:


> I honestly don't buy the "not very contagious" bull crap. The reason it hasn't traveled much is how sparsely populated and how isolated the Middle East is.


The current strain doesn't seem to be very contagious but it can change through mutation. That is a scary scenario as the virus seems to be quite lethal.


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## Sybil6 (Jan 28, 2013)

Viruses can mutate rapidly and easily. The fact that respiratory failure if the main symptom and that it doesn't spread swiftly doesn't seem to coincide very well because coughing up mucus is the number one method of viral spread.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

*MERS virus outbreak raising SARS-like concern
Confirmed cases hit 290, according to World Health Organization*

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/mers-virus-outbreak-raising-sars-like-concern-1.2615531



> It's beginning to feel like SARS revisited.
> 
> For some of the scientists and doctors who helped the world battle the 2003 SARS outbreak, the recent rapid rise in human infections in several Middle Eastern countries caused by a cousin virus is creating a sense of sharp unease.
> 
> ...


And just an update for those who are watching the reports.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*Another case of MERS in the USA*

http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/officials-2nd-us-case-of-mers-being-reported


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

A 2nd case? Damn. Im currently in indianna. You guys keep me posted if something kicks off. Kind of isolated and busy so I havent been to glued to the news.


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## Guardian (Jan 17, 2012)

Vacationing out there in June so as others have stated keep us updated because I really don't want to partake of this.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Another update / opinion piece.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/0...-like-virus-causing-illnesses-in-middle-east/

*Is MERS a public emergency? Expert panel debates spread of deadly SARS-like virus as it lands in Florida*



> Has the mushrooming outbreak of the new MERS coronavirus reached the point where it is an international public health emergency?
> 
> That is the question a panel of outside experts will reconsider today as the World Health Organization's so-called emergency committee on the MERS virus convenes for the fifth time.
> 
> ...


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## ZangLussuria (May 25, 2012)

I just came from Dammam, Saudi Arabia yesterday. Stayed for about 2 days.
When I arrived home, the airport were using the same precautions when SARS broke out.
Fill up a health questionnaire and go through the body heat scanner. Some passengers were wearing masks. Besides that, I don't know what else could be done.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*Mers alert..........*

On the news now more cases, CDC is tracking down individuals .

http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0512-US-MERS.html


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

As of today, it isn't considered bad enough to declare it a global emergency ..

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health...+MERS+virus+isnt+worldwide/9837482/story.html



> LONDON - The spread of a puzzling respiratory virus in the Middle East and beyond is not a global health emergency despite a recent spike in cases, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
> 
> The decision was made after a meeting of WHO's expert group on the Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS.
> 
> ...


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*Epidemic maybe??*

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ast-respiratory-syndrome-cdc-florida/8998043/


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

I think any health workers from SA should be banned from USA travel until first being quarantined over there for two weeks and tested. All those folks on the planes with them are at possible risk, and since the trip involved several stops in other states it could easily spread quickly. We won't worry about it until several deaths over here occur.


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## zimmy (Aug 17, 2012)

Being that the MERS virus is in the news I thought this movie might be worth watching.

"Virus - Day of Resurrection" http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...&mid=1BA2C15449E4F2442D7F1BA2C15449E4F2442D7F


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## smaj100 (Oct 17, 2012)

For a virus that isn't "very contagious" here is a another case who shook hands with the 1st official case.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/mers-mystery/illinois-man-third-u-s-mers-infection-cdc-says-n108066


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