tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Volume 20, Number 4?April 2014
Letter
Lack of MERS Coronavirus but Prevalence of Influenza Virus in French Pilgrims after 2013 Hajj
To the Editor: Saudi Arabia has reported the highest number of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases since the virus first emerged in 2012, with >127 confirmed cases and a case-fatality rate of 42%, as of November 2013 (1).Global attention has focused on the potential for spread of MERS-CoV after the Hajj pilgrimage during which Muslims from 180 countries converge in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Such pilgrims have a high risk for respiratory tract infections because of severe overcrowding. The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee advised all countries (particularly those with returning pilgrims) to strengthen their surveillance capacities and ensure robust reporting of any identified cases (2).
We report the results of a prospective cohort study conducted in Saudi Arabia in October 2013. Participants in the survey were adult Hajj pilgrims who traveled together in a group (through 1 travel agency in Marseille, France) from October 3 through October 24, 2013. Pilgrims were included in the study on a voluntary basis and were asked to sign a written consent form. All pilgrims received advice about individual prevention measures against respiratory tract infection before departing, and follow-up was conducted during the journey by a medical doctor who systematically documented travel-associated diseases. Nasal swab specimens were obtained just before the pilgrims left Saudi Arabia, frozen <48 hours after sampling, and processed (3,4). Each sample was tested for MERS-CoV (upE and ORF1a genes) (5,6) and influenza A, B (7), and A/2009/H1N1 viruses (8) by real-time reverse transcription PCR. The protocol was approved by our Institutional Review Board (July 23, 2013; reference no. 2013-A00961?44) and by the Saudi Ministry of Health ethics committee.
full article
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/20/4/13-1708_article.htm
Letter
Lack of MERS Coronavirus but Prevalence of Influenza Virus in French Pilgrims after 2013 Hajj
To the Editor: Saudi Arabia has reported the highest number of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases since the virus first emerged in 2012, with >127 confirmed cases and a case-fatality rate of 42%, as of November 2013 (1).Global attention has focused on the potential for spread of MERS-CoV after the Hajj pilgrimage during which Muslims from 180 countries converge in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Such pilgrims have a high risk for respiratory tract infections because of severe overcrowding. The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee advised all countries (particularly those with returning pilgrims) to strengthen their surveillance capacities and ensure robust reporting of any identified cases (2).
We report the results of a prospective cohort study conducted in Saudi Arabia in October 2013. Participants in the survey were adult Hajj pilgrims who traveled together in a group (through 1 travel agency in Marseille, France) from October 3 through October 24, 2013. Pilgrims were included in the study on a voluntary basis and were asked to sign a written consent form. All pilgrims received advice about individual prevention measures against respiratory tract infection before departing, and follow-up was conducted during the journey by a medical doctor who systematically documented travel-associated diseases. Nasal swab specimens were obtained just before the pilgrims left Saudi Arabia, frozen <48 hours after sampling, and processed (3,4). Each sample was tested for MERS-CoV (upE and ORF1a genes) (5,6) and influenza A, B (7), and A/2009/H1N1 viruses (8) by real-time reverse transcription PCR. The protocol was approved by our Institutional Review Board (July 23, 2013; reference no. 2013-A00961?44) and by the Saudi Ministry of Health ethics committee.
full article
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/20/4/13-1708_article.htm