Japanese Govt set to prepare for possible MERS outbreak
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Alarmed at the soaring number of people infected with a new strain of
coronavirus mainly in Middle Eastern countries, the Health, Labor and
Welfare Ministry will soon make arrangements for a potential domestic
outbreak of the disease, which could result in such illnesses as severe
pneumonia, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
The new virus strain is known as the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) coronavirus. The number of infections has been surging in the Middle East since April, and cases have recently been confirmed in the United States among people who have returned there from Middle Eastern countries, ministry officials said.
The number of people with the disease, which stood at 206 worldwide during the period from spring 2012 to the end of March this year, more than doubled to 429 in the roughly two months from April to May 23, according to the World Health Organization. About 30 percent of the infections have resulted in fatalities, the WHO said.
The origin of the virus was unknown until recently. However, many experts now believe that it is likely to have come from camels and that the disease can be contracted from touching camels or drinking raw camel milk. There have also been many reports of hospital-acquired infections.
One theory suggests that the current rise in the coronavirus infection may be due to a lack of preventive measures against the disease and the fact that it is now breeding season for camels.
The disease tends to develop within two weeks after infection, causing patients to experience a high fever, cough, severe pneumonia and other symptoms, ministry officials said.
The ministry has issued written instructions to local governments and relevant organizations to conduct medical checkups this month to detect the virus and report information on the results to the ministry. The checkups pertain to people who visit medical institutions after returning from the Middle East and are found to have:
The new virus strain is known as the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) coronavirus. The number of infections has been surging in the Middle East since April, and cases have recently been confirmed in the United States among people who have returned there from Middle Eastern countries, ministry officials said.
The number of people with the disease, which stood at 206 worldwide during the period from spring 2012 to the end of March this year, more than doubled to 429 in the roughly two months from April to May 23, according to the World Health Organization. About 30 percent of the infections have resulted in fatalities, the WHO said.
The origin of the virus was unknown until recently. However, many experts now believe that it is likely to have come from camels and that the disease can be contracted from touching camels or drinking raw camel milk. There have also been many reports of hospital-acquired infections.
One theory suggests that the current rise in the coronavirus infection may be due to a lack of preventive measures against the disease and the fact that it is now breeding season for camels.
The disease tends to develop within two weeks after infection, causing patients to experience a high fever, cough, severe pneumonia and other symptoms, ministry officials said.
The ministry has issued written instructions to local governments and relevant organizations to conduct medical checkups this month to detect the virus and report information on the results to the ministry. The checkups pertain to people who visit medical institutions after returning from the Middle East and are found to have:
—A high fever of 38 C or higher and severe respiratory symptoms; or
—Visited a medical institution while staying in the Mideast or had contact with camels or drank raw camel milk there, even if their symptoms are mild.
The ministry also plans to study which medical institutions should care for patients if the MERS coronavirus-caused illness is detected domestically, along with what treatment arrangements should be made to deal with the situation, the officials said.
The virus is currently considered unlikely to cause human-to-human infection if there is no intensive contact with an infected patient, they said. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001308685
—Visited a medical institution while staying in the Mideast or had contact with camels or drank raw camel milk there, even if their symptoms are mild.
The ministry also plans to study which medical institutions should care for patients if the MERS coronavirus-caused illness is detected domestically, along with what treatment arrangements should be made to deal with the situation, the officials said.
The virus is currently considered unlikely to cause human-to-human infection if there is no intensive contact with an infected patient, they said. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001308685
