China pneumonia outbreak may be linked to new type of virus: WHO

LONDON -- A cluster of more than 50 pneumonia cases in the central Chinese city of Wuhan may be due to a newly emerging member of the family of viruses that caused the deadly SARS and MERS outbreaks, World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

While the United Nations health agency said it needed more comprehensive information to confirm precisely the type of pathogen causing the infections, it said a new coronavirus was a possibility.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause infections ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Some of the virus types cause less severe disease, while some - like the one that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) - are far more severe.

"The initial information about the cases of pneumonia in Wuhan...pointed to a coronavirus as a possible pathogen causing this cluster," the WHO said in a statement.

It added that since Chinese authorities have conducted laboratory tests and eliminated the SARS coronavirus and the MERS one as possible causes, as well as flu, bird flu, adenovirus and other common respiratory pathogens, "therefore, a novel coronavirus could not be ruled out".

The pneumonia outbreak started last month, and 59 cases had been reported by Chinese authorities by Sunday.

The WHO noted that coronaviruses emerge periodically - including in 2002 to cause SARS and in 2012 to cause MERS.

It said that according to Chinese authorities, the virus behind the Wuhan cases can cause severe illness in some patients and does not appear to pass easily from person to person.

"More comprehensive information is required to confirm the pathogen, as well as to better understand the epidemiology of the outbreak, the clinical picture, the investigations to determine the source, modes of transmission, extent of infection, and the countermeasures implemented," the WHO said.

In 2003, Chinese officials covered up a SARS outbreak for weeks before a growing death toll and rumours forced the government to reveal the epidemic. The disease spread rapidly to other cities and countries in 2003. More than 8,000 people were infected and 775 died.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

S. Korea fears MERS may have spread to new hospital

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea on Saturday said it was closely monitoring a hospital in eastern Seoul over fears that hundreds of people there may have been exposed to the deadly MERS virus.

A 70-year-old woman who caught Middle East Respiratory Syndrome while visiting an infected relative in a different hospital was feared to have spread the virus to the new site.

"We are focusing our efforts in tracing contacts and isolating people who came close to this patient", a senior health ministry official told journalists on Saturday.

The woman died on June 25, two days after she was diagnosed, but due to the virus's 14-day incubation period, anyone she infected may only start showing symptoms in the coming days.

The official said it was too early to say whether the outbreak may be on the wane, given that new cases are expected at the new site.

"We would be able to talk about any trend of the outbreak only after watching the development at the hospital", he said.

The comments came as the country reported one additional MERS case, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 182 in the largest outbreak of the deadly virus outside Saudi Arabia.

However, no additional fatalities were reported over the past 24 hours, with the death toll standing at 31, the health ministry said.

The latest case involved a 27-year-old nurse at a hospital in eastern Seoul who was believed to have been infected while treating a patient.Seou

She is the fifth confirmed case at the hospital, where more than 100 patients who were exposed to the virus while undergoing dialysis have been isolated at the hospital since June 18.

Of the 182 confirmed cases, 90 people have recovered, 31 have died and 61 others are still being treated -- 13 of whom are listed in a critical condition.

Most of the deceased had pre-existing medical conditions, according to the health ministry.

Some 2,467 people were meanwhile in isolation, down from 2,931 on Friday.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

First MERS case confirmed in Thailand

BANGKOK, Thailand - Thai health officials Thursday said a 75-year-old man from the Middle East was confirmed to have MERS, the country's first case after a deadly outbreak of the virus hit South Korea.

"(The man) is from a Middle Eastern country. The (test) results confirmed that he has Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)," said Rajata Rajatanavin, Thailand's Public Health Minister, adding the patient had arrived in the kingdom with his family three days ago.

Thailand had investigated around 20 people for the virus, all of who tested negative.

MERS has spread at an alarmingly rapid pace in South Korea since the first case was diagnosed on May 20, infecting 165 in what is the largest outbreak outside Saudi Arabia and prompting a major public health scare.

Earlier on Thursday World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan had expressed guarded optimism over South Korea's ability to contain the MERS outbreak, saying it was now "on a very good footing" after an initially slow response to the virus which has killed 23 people.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

South Korea reports 5 more cases of MERS illness

SEOUL - South Korea confirmed five more cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, the health ministry said early on Wednesday, bringing to 30 the total number of cases in the country of the often-deadly illness.

On Tuesday, South Korea reported its first two deaths from MERS since the first confirmed case two weeks ago, fuelling growing worry about the spread of the illness in the country, which has reported the most cases of MERS outside the Middle East.

South Korea has isolated about 750 people for possible MERS infection, which is caused by a coronavirus from the same family as the one that triggered the deadly 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). MERS has a much higher death rate than SARS and there is no cure or vaccine.

Of the five new cases, four had been in the same hospital as the first patient, a 68-year-old man who had recently travelled to four countries in the Middle East. The other, a 60-year-old man, caught it from another person infected in the outbreak.

The new cases would bring the total number globally to 1,166, based on earlier World Health Organization (WHO) data, with at least 436 related deaths.

The WHO has not recommended trade or travel restrictions for South Korea, although South Korean border control authorities have put a ban on overseas travel for people isolated for possible infection, a health ministry official said.

Government health officials have been criticized for being slow to respond to the outbreak.

The death rate from MERS, first identified in humans in 2012, has been 38 percent, according to WHO figures, with older patients and those with existing respiratory and renal ailments at greater risk, according to a South Korean doctor. However, experts said that figure may overstate the fatality rate as patients with little or no symptoms might go undetected.

By comparison, the death rate from SARS was 9 to 12 percent, rising above 50 percent for patients over 65, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Saudi urged to do more vs MERS coronavirus

RIYADH - An international health mission said Monday more measures are needed to combat the spread of MERS in Saudi Arabia, the country worst hit by the coronavirus.

The team of experts said it identified with health authorities in the kingdom the need for "understanding the animal/human interface" including the "modes of infection and transmission."

It also urged "improving disease prevention, especially in health facilities that continue to experience avoidable infections," in a statement issued by the World Health Organisation following the conclusion of the mission to Saudi Arabia.

The mission headed to the desert kingdom after a surge of cases in the past weeks, including 50 reported this month alone as well as infections acquired in health facilities.

A total of 899 people have been infected in the kingdom, of whom 382 have died, since the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was identified globally in 2012.

The health ministry recorded five deaths on Thursday alone, bringing to 16 the number since February 11.

"When health workers are infected at work, this puts other health-care workers at risk, but also can be a risk to all other patients who seek care for other health conditions," said the statement.

It said that educating professionals and the public about the virus are "urgently needed," highlighting "significant gaps in community engagement to fully understand routes of infection and the preventive steps that should be taken."

More than 20 countries have been affected by MERS but most cases have been linked to the Middle East.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com