Middle East respiratory syndrome

What is MERS?

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• published: 03 May 2014
• views: 30391

So you recently returned from a family vacation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and have developed a slight cough. You snuggle into your sofa with a bowl of chicken soup and turn on the evening news. To your surprise, the top story in the highlights recent panic over a new deadly viral infection called middle east respiratory syndrome or MERS. Should you call your doctor? Should you call an ambulance? Or should you simply tuck yourself into bed after two iboprophen tablets and ignore the news altogether? Like any self-proclaimed medical genius, you search the Internet for appropriate YouTube videos on the topic of MERS to alleviate your concerns. Apparently, Middle East respiratory syndrome is caused by a coronavirus, which is a large family of viruses that cause disease in humans and animals. This is the same class of virus that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in recent years. MERS was first detected in April 2012. Infection with MERS causes death in about half of cases. Okay, that is frightening. You read on. The symptoms of MERS include cough, fever, and shortness of breath. Severe cases may progress to pneumonia and may include diarrhea, kidney failure, and death. There's that word "death" again. You now feel a little nauseous. As the name implies, the origin of the virus seems to be the Middle East, including your recent vacation spot, Saudi Arabia. Recently, there have been documented cases in Europe, and as of May 2014, the United States. These cases occurred in medical professionals that had recently traveled to the Middle East. Scientists investigating the origin of the virus believe the virus may have originated from domesticated camels. You recall several fun nights of disco dancing with Marcus the camel and begin to have some regrets. On a more serious note, MERS coronavirus can be deadly, but let's keep things in perspective. First of all, most strains of coronavirus are mild. Some strains of coronavirus cause the common cold. You have likely had a case of coronavirus yourself. Other common viruses, such as influenza, can be very severe at times, also. What makes MERS potentially dangerous is the fact that it is new to humans. It is rare for viruses to pass from animals to humans and the human immune system may not be prepared for such a novel virus. There is no specific treatment for MERS but fortunately, most cases passed from person-to-person are mild. So far, spread of the virus has been very slow. So, unless you are a doctor or nurse that recently cared for patients in the Middle East with known cases of MERS, your cough and fever are probably caused by another virus, but don't take my word for it. Talk to your doctor if you or Marcus develop any unusual symptoms. Michael K. Davis, MD The Impatient Doctor