The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday night confirmed a case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Al Ain City in Abu Dhabi. In a press statement, the global health body stated that a 28-year-old male from the region has tested positive for the virus.
“The case had no history of direct or indirect contact with dromedaries, goats, or sheep. The patient was admitted to the hospital on 8 June,” WHO stated.
According to the UN body, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) notified the health agency about the case on 10 July.
“A nasopharyngeal swab was collected on 21 June and tested positive for MERS-CoV by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on 23 June 2023. All 108 identified contacts were monitored for 14 days from the last date of exposure to the MERS-CoV patient. No secondary cases have been detected to date,” it revealed.
Since July 2013, when the UAE reported the first case of MERS-CoV, 94 confirmed cases (including this new case) and 12 deaths have been reported. Globally, the total number of confirmed MERS-CoV cases reported to WHO since 2012 is 2 605, including 936 associated deaths.
Meanwhile, the current status of the infected man is still awaited.
What is MERS-Coronavirus?
MERS-Coronavirus causes a viral respiratory illness known as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). According to WHO, the viral disease was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
The clinical spectrum of the infection ranges from no symptoms or mild respiratory symptoms to severe acute respiratory disease and death.
Since its detection, 27 countries reported MERS cases, including Algeria, Austria, Bahrain, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Oman, the Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and Yemen.
What are the symptoms of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)?
Some of the symptoms include:
- fever
- cough
- shortness of breath
- Pneumonia is a common finding, but not always present.
- Gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhoea, have also been reported.
According to WHO, the virus appears to cause more severe disease in older people, persons with weakened immune systems and those with chronic diseases such as renal disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, and diabetes.
“No vaccine or specific treatment is currently available, although several MERS-CoV-specific vaccines and treatments are in development,” WHO revealed.
