MERS

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MERS IS COMIING! BUST OUT YOUR DISASTER KITS, IT'S ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE, KIDDIES!

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/15/health/mers-outbreak-netherlands/

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/mers-mystery/second-mers-case-shows-hospitals-are-ground-zero-mers-n104601

 

Welcome back to the blog! As some of you may have heard, SARS' cousin, MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) has made landfall stateside. MERS-CoV has been the subject of much media speculation and, in some cases, fearmongering since its identification in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Most people don't know much about MERS, except that it's kinda maybe bad to get it, so I'm going to give you a brief rundown.

 

According to the CDC, MERS infection has a lethality rate of about 30% of cases. Since its discovery, we've noted a little over 500 cases, which is relatively few for a new infection. Human-to-human transmission has been observed, but only in limited numbers, usually from an isolated case to family or healthcare workers (that is, generally people who spend extended periods in close proximity to the patient). Typically, new infections of MERS fizzle out within one or two transmissions- not unlike H4N1 avian influenzas. It's unlikely that humans are a reservoir for MERS, since the infection is not persistent, and isolated cases are observed with no detectable chain of transmission. We have pretty good evidence suggesting that Dromedary Camels (those with one hump, as pictured) are the reservoir, but nothing completely solid. There is no antiviral or approved therapy for MERS as of the time of this post, but we do have a reliable test for it. [1]

 

The cases that made stateside were imported from overseas[1], and seem to be sticking to the pattern of little to no interpersonal transmission. Is it possible the virus could mutate to become stable in humans? Of course, MERS has an RNA genome, which means that it's going to have relatively high mutation rate, but I'll wager that the risk of the virus mutating to become stable for interpersonal transmission is minimal. I'm basing my logic off of a similar virus that some of you may remember panicking over at some point earlier in the millennium, the H4N1 Avian Influenza. Like bird flu, MERS is an RNA virus that causes respiratory symptoms, it has a high kill rate, and relatively poor interpersonal transmission (spreading only to those with close, extended contact with the patient). The exact route of transmission for MERS isn't known for sure, but I'd wager that, like Flu, it takes the respiratory route. Of course, there was always the remote possibility of H4N1 gaining the ability to have sustained chains of transmission in people, but it never happened. If it was going to happen, I'd say that with 500 cases spread out over several different countries, there should've been enough exposure to slightly variant strains that it would've happened by now.

 

So, what can you do? First, remain calm, which is different from complacency. That is to say, don't get scared, but be prepared. Wash your hands, limit your contact with people showing signs and symptoms of respiratory disease, wash your hands, stay home if you're sick, wash your hands, don't kiss any camels, WASH YOUR HANDS, keep some N95 masks in your home for you and yours in case it does begin to spread, and don't wait until you're too sick to walk to seek medical attention. Pay attention to news reports, mainly from the CDC at their outbreak reporting page here. Also, support science, and those who support science. Spread the knowledge you've gained here, and do your own research to learn more. Also, sharing the blog page (NEW AND IMPROVED!) won't hurt my feelings. Feel free to leave any questions, comments, or suggestions here, or on our new facebook page at www.facebook.com/thefearblog


ALSO! WE DID IT! The proposed legislation to block the NEIDL was shot down, thanks to all the signatures on that petition.




[1]http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/faq.html