Posted on 10/10/2013 12:12:57 PM PDT by BenLurkin
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Southern California doctors and health officials will be on the lookout for Muslim pilgrims returning from Saudi Arabia with flu-like symptoms in the wake of a reported outbreak of a SARS-like virus in the Middle East, according to a report.
L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Jonathan Fielding told the Los Angeles Times severe coughs or other similar symptoms could signal the arrival of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, or MERS-CoV, to the Southland.
While MERS-CoV has so far only been reported in the Mideast and Europe, doctors and emergency departments will be on the lookout for suspicious coughs and fevers, Fielding told the Times.
“We have procedures in place to get to the state lab any specimens that we think might be a problem,” Fielding said. “We don’t have any specific treatment, so it’s really important that we remain vigilant.”
Fielding first alerted Angelenos to the virus back in May (PDF), at which time no cases were reported in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website, as of Sept. 30, there were no reported cases of MERS in the United States. However, a note on the CDC website warns the agency’s information may be outdated due to the partial government shutdown.
At least 136 people have been infected by the MERS virus worldwide, with at least 58 of those victims killed from respiratory distress and organ failure since the virus was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported.
Out of the total number of people infected with the virus, which health officials warned is predominantly spread by close contact, Saudi Arabia was listed as the place of origin in 108 infected cases and 47 of all MERS-related deaths, according to WHO.
Providing the type of environment in which a virus can spread efficiently, the pilgrimage known as the hajj — which Muslim men are required to make at least once in their lifetime — typically draws more than 10,000 American Muslims in hot and crowded conditions. .
(You're welcome.)
;-)
Inquiring minds want to know.
Dear Forgotten Man,
As you said: “I hope it is a swine flu sweeping through the Muslim world.”
There was only ONE version of the Swine Flu, (I know your jocularity in using that therm), HOWEVER ...
As one of those Dover AFB military personnel who actually DID HAVE the Swine Flu, I report:
Starting February 10, arrangements were made to study febrile respiratory disease patients at McGuire Air Force Base (adjoining Fort Dix) and at hospitals, emergency rooms, and physicians’ offices in the Fort Dix vicinity. Medical examiners were told to obtain specimens from possible influenza patients and surveillance was increased statewide. From January 9 to March 19, infection with influenza A/Victoria virus was documented in 301 persons by virus isolation (151 persons), CF or HAI serology (113 persons), or both (37 persons). Cases in New Jersey came from 19 of 21 counties, McGuire Air Force Base, and Lakehurst Naval Training Center. Delaware had 19 cases, including 5 from Dover Air Force Base. From January 31 to March 17, 10 civilian deaths in New Jersey were attributed to influenza. Influenza A/Victoria (H3N2) was isolated from all 10 patients.
It was NOT fun, as being near dead usually isn’t, and no, I did NOT grow a snout and a curly little tail.
[June 6, 2013] U.S. Says Deadly MERS Virus Could Affect Nat’l Security
(CNSNews.com) – As Saudi and U.N. health authorities report new infections from a troubling new respiratory disease, there are concerns that the approaching Hajj – the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca – could increase the risk of spreading the virus as pilgrims return to their home countries.
Meanwhile the U.S. government, in a notice published in the Federal Register Wednesday, declared that the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV, or simply MERS) could potentially “affect national security or the health and security of United States citizens living abroad.”
Saudi Arabia is currently the undisputed center of the scare.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the majority of the 55 confirmed MERS cases – 40 infections, 24 deaths – have occurred in the kingdom, while two deaths each have been reported in Britain and Jordan and one death each in France and the United Arab Emirates. (The fatalities in Europe were linked to visits to the Middle East.)
Infections also have been reported in Qatar, Tunisia and Italy.
The notice published in the Federal Register Wednesday said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has determined that “there is a significant potential for a public health emergency that has a significant potential to affect national security or the health and security of United States citizens living abroad.”
That determination in turn allows the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to bypass standard processes and fast-track approval for products or drugs in relation to MERS, on the basis of an “emergency use application” (EUA).
The FDA may under the prescribed circumstances issue an EUA “authorizing (1) the emergency use of an unapproved drug, an unapproved or uncleared device, or an unlicensed biological product; or (2) an unapproved use of an approved drug, approved or cleared device, or licensed biological product,” the notice says.
Saudi Arabia says more than two million Muslims – including roughly 20,000 from the United States – visit Mecca for the Hajj, which brings large numbers of people into close proximity in a confined geographical area over a five-day period. This year’s pilgrimage falls in mid-October.
As of Wednesday, the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) said it was not advising any “special screening at points of entry” as a result of the outbreak, “nor does it currently recommend the application of any travel or trade restrictions.”
Updated guidelines for Hajj pilgrims, issued by the Saudi Embassy in Washington, make no mention of MERS in a section on health issues and vaccination requirements. Vaccinations that are required for adults include those for meningitis, seasonal flu, and the H1N1 flu virus.
The guidelines do include an unspecific warning: “Health experts advise the following groups to postpone their plans for Hajj and Umrah this year for their own safety: The elderly, the terminally ill, pregnant women, and children.” (The Umrah is a secondary type of pilgrimage to Mecca, one that can be taken any time of the year.)
Well expect MERs in the US in a few weeks. Oh joy!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.