UK: Patient diagnosed with MERS in Leeds

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...rus-Leeds.html

Patient is diagnosed with killer MERS virus in Leeds
Patient is diagnosed with killer MERS virus in Leeds as health officials scramble to contact passengers who were on the same plane from the Middle East

Public Health England said the patient was diagnosed at a hospital in Leeds
They are now receiving treatment at the specialist Royal Liverpool Hospital
The unidentified patient is from the Middle East - but officials haven't said where

By Stephen Matthews Assistant Health Editor For Mailonline
Published: 07:09 EDT, 23 August 2018 | Updated: 08:58 EDT, 23 August 2018


A patient from the Middle East is being treated for the killer MERS virus in England, health officials have today confirmed.

Public Health England said the unidentified patient was diagnosed at a hospital in Leeds, before being moved to a specialist centre in Liverpool.

The Government-run body is now scrambling to contact passengers who were on the same plane from Saudi Arabia to Manchester as the patient, amid fears they may also be infected...

[sharon sanders]

Press release
MERS-CoV case in England

Public Health England (PHE) confirm that an individual has been diagnosed with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in England.


Published 23 August 2018
From: Public Health England





The patient was initially admitted to a hospital in Leeds and was transferred to Royal Liverpool Hospital, an expert respiratory infectious disease centre, where they are stable and receiving appropriate treatment.
The patient is a resident of the Middle East, where they are believed to have contracted the infection, before travelling to the UK.
While this is a serious infection for the individual, the risk of transmission to the general population from this case is very low.
MERS-CoV (the virus that causes MERS) can be spread when someone is in close contact with a patient for a sustained period of time. This means there is a very low risk to the general population of becoming ill.
This is the fifth case of MERS diagnosed in England, with previous cases diagnosed in 2012 to 2013.
As a precautionary measure, PHE experts are working closely with NHS colleagues to advise them on infection control measures. They will be contacting people who might have been in close contact with the individual to monitor their symptoms and provide health advice. This will include contacting a number of passengers who travelled in close proximity to the patient on the same flight to the UK.
People without symptoms are not considered infectious but, as a precaution, those who have been in close proximity will be contacted and monitored to ensure that if they do become unwell they can be treated quickly.
If people show symptoms of MERS after travelling to the Middle East, our advice remains unchanged and they should contact health services through the usual routes ? by calling their GP or NHS 111.
Typically MERS symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath.
Healthcare professionals are advised to remain vigilant for severe unexplained respiratory illness occurring in anyone who has recently travelled into the UK from the Middle East, particularly in light of increased travel associated with the Hajj.
Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy Medical Director at PHE, said:

A patient in hospital in Liverpool is being treated for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (Mers-CoV) infection. The patient is thought to have contracted the infection whilst in the Middle East before travelling to the UK.
Public Health England is following up those who have had close and sustained contact with the patient to offer advice and to monitor them as necessary.
It is important to emphasise that although a case has been identified, the overall risk of disease transmission to the public is very low.
As we?ve seen in previous cases, we have well established and robust infection control procedures for dealing with cases of imported infectious disease and these will be strictly followed to minimise the risk of transmission.

Background

1. No further details about the patient will be provided due to patient confidentiality.
2. The patient was first assessed, diagnosed and treated at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust before being transferred to the specialist unit in Liverpool. The NHS will not issue daily condition checks. An update will only be provided if there is a significant change to the patient?s condition.
3. The patient travelled on Saudi Arabian Airlines flight (number SV123) on 16 August 2018. Aircraft recycle and filter the air in the cabin and this is why contact tracing is usually restricted to 3 rows in front and 3 behind the case. If you have not been contacted then you are not considered at risk.
4. The total number of laboratory confirmed cases detected in the UK is now 5: the current case, 2 imported from the Middle East in 2012 to 13 and 2 as a result of onward transmission from one of the cases whilst in the UK. General travel health advice for travellers going to the Middle East is available from NaTHNaC?s website TravelHealthPro.
5. MERS guidance issued by PHE for clinicians can be accessed from the: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV): clinical management and guidance.
6. Health advice posters are available here on the PHE website.
7. Typically MERS symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Pneumonia is common, but not always present. Gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhoea, have also been reported.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mers-cov-case-in-england

[sharon sanders]

The five cases:

#4 - Man, 49, onset date September 3 after travel from Saudi Arabia, hospitalized September 7 in Doha, Qatar, transported to the UK via air ambulance September 11 - Saudi Arabia Death note.

#10 - Man, 60, onset 26 January, hospitalized in ICU in UK, died March 19, travel history to Saudi Arabia Death note

#11 - Man, 38, onset February 6, died February 17, comorbidities, son of case #10 - United Kingdom Death note

#12 - A younger female family member, who only had exposure to Case 10 while he was in hospital. She became ill on February 5 with a typical influenza-like illness which did not require hospital admission. She has now fully recovered. - United Kingdom

#2238 - Patient, hospitalized in Leeds, England after arrival from the Middle East


Source: FluTrackers Cumulative Coronavirus MERS Case List link

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.who.int/csr/don/31-august...ed-kingdom/en/
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) ? United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Disease outbreak news
31 August 2018

On 22 August 2018, the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) National Focal Point for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland notified WHO about a laboratory-confirmed Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. The patient is a resident of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who was visiting the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The patient is a male aged between 80-89 years with underlying chronic medical conditions. He had no history of recent travel or contact with sick patients in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but had history of direct contact with camels before the onset of symptoms.
On 16 August, while symptomatic, the patient travelled by aircraft from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Manchester in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and then to Leeds by car. He received treatment while in isolation in Leeds before being transferred to a specialist infectious disease facility in Liverpool. The patient?s condition has improved and he continues to be in isolation.
Laboratory testing was performed by Public Health England (PHE) Birmingham laboratory and the results were positive for MERS-CoV; these results were confirmed by the national reference laboratory.
This is the fifth case of MERS-CoV diagnosed in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with the four previous cases diagnosed in 2012 and 2013.
Public health response

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland authorities promptly notified Saudi Arabian authorities on 22 August 2018.
Public health authorities in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have identified and are following up the contacts of the patient in the community, family and health care facilities. Passengers on the flight within three rows of the case have been contacted and provided with information.
Public health authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have screened the patient?s immediate family contacts for disease; all nasopharyngeal samples tested negative for MERS-CoV by PCR. The Animal Health Sector in the Ministry of Agriculture is investigating camel exposures in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
WHO risk assessment

The virus does not pass easily from person to person unless there is close contact, such as providing unprotected care to an infected patient. Infection with MERS-CoV can cause severe disease resulting in high rates of morbidity and mortality. Community-acquired human infections with MERS-CoV occurs from direct or indirect contact with infected dromedary camels. MERS-CoV can also transmit between humans through unprotected contact with an infected patient. So far, the observed non-sustained human-to-human transmission has occurred mainly in health care settings. Human-to-human transmission in health care settings can be stopped with adequate infection prevention and control measures.
The notification of an additional case does not change WHO?s overall risk assessment for MERS-CoV. WHO expects that additional cases of MERS-CoV infection will be reported from the Middle East and that sporadic cases will continue to be exported to other countries by individuals who have acquired the infection after exposure to infected animals or animal products (for example, following contact with dromedaries) or human cases (for example, in a health care setting). To date, no human MERS-CoV infections have been associated with Hajj.
WHO is working with the affected Member States to follow up contacts. Additional infections identified as part of the ongoing public health response to this imported case will not change the overall public health risk, which is low.
WHO continues to monitor the epidemiological situation and conduct risk assessments based on the latest available information.
WHO advice

Based on the current situation and available information, WHO encourages all Member States to continue their surveillance for acute respiratory infections and to carefully review any unusual patterns. WHO recommends the collection of exposure information, including recent travel history, contact with dromedary camels and visits to health care facilities in countries where MERS-CoV is circulating.
General hygiene measures, such as regular hand washing before and after touching animals, and avoiding contact with sick animals should be adhered to. Food hygiene practices should be observed. People should avoid drinking raw camel milk or camel urine, or eating meat that has not been properly cooked.
Infection prevention and control measures are critical to prevent the possible spread of MERS-CoV in health care facilities. It is not always possible to identify patients with MERS-CoV early because, like other respiratory infections, the early symptoms of MERS-CoV are non-specific. Therefore, health care workers should consistently apply standard precautions with all patients, regardless of their diagnosis. Droplet precautions should be added to the standard precautions when providing care to patients with acute respiratory infection symptoms; 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.
Community and household awareness of MERS-CoV and its prevention measures in the home may reduce household transmission and prevent community clusters.
People with underlying illness such as diabetes, renal failure, chronic lung disease, or who are immunocompromised, are considered to be at high risk of severe disease from MERS‐CoV infection. These people should avoid close contact with animals, particularly camels.
WHO does not advise special screening at points of entry with regard to this event nor does it currently recommend the application of any travel or trade restrictions.
As of July 2018, the total global number of laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS-CoV reported since 2012 is 2241, including 1865 cases that have been reported from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Among all cases, at least 795 MERS-CoV-associated deaths have occurred.
The global number reflects the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases reported to WHO under the IHR (2005) to date. The total number of reported deaths includes deaths that WHO is aware of to date through follow up with affected member states. Both may be an underestimate of the true number of infections and deaths.