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WHO to send joint mission to gain better understanding of MERS outbreak

Xinhua, June 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed on Friday that a joint WHO and Republic of Korea (ROK) mission, expected to set-off sometime next week, will seek to gain information and review the situation in the ROK in light of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS) outbreak.

WHO confirmed that 41 cases have been identified to date, 40 in ROK and one in China.

Four deaths have been reported so far, amid fears that the virus could present similar risks to populations as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus did more than 10 years ago.

"Understandably, populations in China are worried because of the history of SARS," WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told Xinhua, adding that though "SARS and MERS are part of the same family of viruses, we fail to see easy human-to-human transmission so far."

This is the main difference between both viral strains, Lindmeier stressed, adding there are still many unknowns regarding the virus which was first reported in 2012 in Saudi Arabia.

One of the main difficulties when diagnosing a patient who has contracted MERS is that the "virus presents itself with flu-like symptoms, which can be anything from mild to heavy," Lindmeier stated.

This makes monitoring and sequencing the virus especially important, as is the sensitization of health services so that they can act appropriately when examining and treating at-risk patients.

According to WHO, this entails correctly detecting cases, conducting follow-ups, working out potential contacts, and properly examining patients who well be treated and isolated if need be.

The health agency remains uncertain as to the link between symptoms and infection risk, adding that "though the exact incubation period remains unknown, there is a 14-day risk period where people should self-monitor," said the WHO spokesperson.

WHO stated the joint mission, looking at the virus' epidemiology and public health response efforts, will play a crucial role in better understanding a disease which has killed at least 436 people globally.

According to official estimates, MERS has a global mortality rate of around 40 percent, though the fact that it is only reaching 10 percent in ROK "might be because of the very rigorous tracing system put in place," said Lindmeier. Endit