A man in the UAE has been hospitalised after contracting the Mers virus, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Mers, also known as Middle East respiratory syndrome, is a viral respiratory infection that is caused by a coronavirus called Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
Mers in the UAE
Although rare in the UAE, there have been 94 cases reported to WHO since 2013. 12 of the cases resulted in death.
Worldwide the virus is reported to have 936 associated deaths from 2,605 reported cases.
Humans can be infected with Mers following direct or indirect contact with animals such as camels.
The 28-year-old man in Al Ain in Abu Dhabi had “had no history of direct or indirect contact with dromedaries, goats, or sheep” according to WHO.
After first being admitted to a UAE Government hospital on June 8, following several days illness, they were treated for gastrointestinal symptoms and given an initial diagnosis of acute pancreatitis, acute kidney injury, and sepsis.
After being in critical condition they were tested for Mers with a positive diagnosis, according to WHO.
108 contacts that were identified and monitored for 14 days from the last date of exposure to the MERS-CoV patient. No secondary case was identified.
Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) has updated the case definition for MERS-CoV, strengthened surveillance activities to identify possible cases, conducted several workshops and issued circulars for MERS-CoV.
No vaccine or specific treatment is currently available, although several MERS-CoV-specific vaccines and treatments are in development.
WHO advises, as a general precaution, anyone visiting farms, markets, barns or other places where dromedaries are present should practice general hygiene measures, including:
- Regular hand washing after touching animals
- Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with hands
- Avoiding contact with sick animals.
- People may also consider wearing protective gowns and gloves while professionally handling animals
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