New killer virus should be fought with the help of Saudi honesty

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...5ab0c2-c5b4-11e3-bf7a-be01a9b69cf1_story.html

The Post?s View
New killer virus should be fought with the help of Saudi honesty
By Editorial Board, Friday, April 18, 7:27 PM

ONE OF the most worrisome threats from a novel coronavirus first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012 has been the possibility of rapid and sustained human-to-human transmission. The virus, named Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, is still somewhat mysterious, and much remains unknown about how it spreads. There is no effective vaccine or antiviral treatment. Recent research suggests that camels have been a reservoir for the virus, but many people infected had no contact with camels.

So far, there have been limited examples of transmission from one person to another in close contact, but at the outset, the virus did not appear to be leaping ahead in a way that would threaten an epidemic, as did another coronavirus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome, a decade ago. However, recent disclosures have been disquieting...

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: New killer virus should be fought with the help of Saudi honesty

Since last year, the human-to-human sustained transmission in nosocomial otubreaks has been proven.

It is not correct, in fact, to say that the 'killer' virus has started to do this NOW.

It was known it was able to sustain a chain of transmission into particular settings, such as hospital, then causing secondary community clusters, albeit with no onward dissemination on larger communities.

It was also known the potential animal reservoi (camels), and despite this, there was not noticeable animal-to-human distancing measures applied in affected regions.

The continuing spill-over of animal viruses to human caused further nosocomial outbreaks and there is not so fa a single genetic analysis of new isolates to support a major change in MERS-CoV tansmissibility, virulence and pathogenicity.

Last year some cases appeared in Europe, and it was clear that the clinical picture was not compatible to the Saudi reports: a wide range of symptoms from rapidly progressive acute respiratory distress syndrome to self-limiting pneumonia and mild upper respiratory tract infection.

Despite all these limitation in knowledge, a Comprehensive, cooperative research effort at international level to understand the nature and the scope of the MERS-CoV issue has not started, as happened during 2003 SARS crisis.

The role of asymptomatic cases remains unknown, as the follow-up of close contacts of the PCR positive cases and the final outcome.

Before starting to draw conclusion, more critical data have to be released to the public.

GM