Qatar: SCH Reveals Preliminary Findings on MERS-CoV

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.fananews.com/en/?p=214007


Qatar News Agency ? QNA
SCH Reveals Preliminary Findings on MERS-CoV
2014.06.4
0082 General/ Qatar

Doha, June 04 (QNA) ? As part of its risk Communication strategy to inform the Qatari society on the preliminary findings of the MERS-CoV National, the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) outlined in a press conference held today the survey it conducted with the Ministry of Environment in Qatar in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands...

...Data available so far showed that MERS-CoV continues to be present among dromedary camels. In addition, there are signs that people dealing very closely with them may become infected without severe disease...

...Preliminary results of studies conducted in Qatar as reported previously showed that MERS CoV continues to be present among dromedary camels in Qatar. Evidence of virus shedding has been found from camels sampled from different locations. Shedding most frequently occurs from nasal secretions, but approximately 20% of virus-positive animals also shed virus from feces, it noted.

Data suggests that there is opportunity for contamination of meat during the slaughter process, as 13% of lymph node samples tested positive for viral RNA, although mostly low levels of RNA were detected.
At this moment it is not known if the presence of virus RNA in lymph nodes implies that animal meat can contain infectious virus.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Qatar: SCH Reveals Preliminary Findings on MERS-CoV

Source: http://www.gulf-times.com/qatar/178/details/394965/-survey-finds-virus-among-camels

...The SCH official highlighted that in the survey of milking camels, testing of milk showed evidence of viral (RNA) in more than half of samples from animals shedding virus.

?As the milk was collected according to local customs, contamination of milk during the process cannot be excluded. All milk samples tested positive for Mers CoV antibodies,? he added.

Another major finding was that persons working with animals were tested for presence of antibodies to Mers CoV, as these indicate past infection. In total, 8.7% of persons with close camel contact had evidence of antibodies, compared to 0% of persons without animal or only sheep contact in Qatar and Europe. None of these persons reported severe illness...