MHSC
Senior Moderator
Saudi health ministry publishes new MERS case definition
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) has published a new MERS-CoV case definition that differs slightly from those published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC, according to a report today in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Tariq Madani, MBBS, special MOH consultant on MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus), writes, "As new clinical information became available, a revision of the MERS-CoV case definition seemed appropriate." He said the new case definition was approved after seeking expert CDC opinion.
The new guidance adds a fourth category for suspected cases for contacts of MERS patients who have upper or lower respiratory tract symptoms.
Suspected cases?those who should be tested for MERS-CoV?now include people who:
Have a fever and community-acquired pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome
Are hospitalized with healthcare-associated pneumonia
Have an acute fever; body aches, headache, diarrhea, or nausea/vomiting with or without respiratory symptoms; and unexplained leukopenia (reduced white blood cell count) and thrombocytopenia (platelet deficiency)
Were exposed to a confirmed or probable MERS patient and develop upper or lower respiratory illness within 2 weeks after exposure
Neither WHO or CDC case definitions delineate upper and lower respiratory symptoms regarding suspected cases but they do discuss respiratory illness.
The revised MOH case definition also includes specifics for probable and confirmed MERS cases.
Madani also presents an algorithm for case management that says confirmed case-patients with no evidence of pneumonia can be isolated at home after careful assessment of the home situation, among other steps.
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2014/09/news-scan-sep-24-2014
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) has published a new MERS-CoV case definition that differs slightly from those published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC, according to a report today in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Tariq Madani, MBBS, special MOH consultant on MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus), writes, "As new clinical information became available, a revision of the MERS-CoV case definition seemed appropriate." He said the new case definition was approved after seeking expert CDC opinion.
The new guidance adds a fourth category for suspected cases for contacts of MERS patients who have upper or lower respiratory tract symptoms.
Suspected cases?those who should be tested for MERS-CoV?now include people who:
Have a fever and community-acquired pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome
Are hospitalized with healthcare-associated pneumonia
Have an acute fever; body aches, headache, diarrhea, or nausea/vomiting with or without respiratory symptoms; and unexplained leukopenia (reduced white blood cell count) and thrombocytopenia (platelet deficiency)
Were exposed to a confirmed or probable MERS patient and develop upper or lower respiratory illness within 2 weeks after exposure
Neither WHO or CDC case definitions delineate upper and lower respiratory symptoms regarding suspected cases but they do discuss respiratory illness.
The revised MOH case definition also includes specifics for probable and confirmed MERS cases.
Madani also presents an algorithm for case management that says confirmed case-patients with no evidence of pneumonia can be isolated at home after careful assessment of the home situation, among other steps.
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2014/09/news-scan-sep-24-2014