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New infections Deadly Mers virus detected in Thailand
Over 200 people were observed
The dangerous Mers (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) virus, which has claimed hundreds of lives, especially in the Middle East, has arrived in Thailand. For the second time, infection with the potentially fatal pathogen has been detected in the Southeast Asian country. According to the Bangkok Post, citing the Ministry of Health, the person is a 71-year-old man from Oman, who traveled to Thailand on January 22. He was reportedly quarantined at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute in Nonthaburi, north of Bangkok. More than 200 potential male contacts were observed, according to the report.
Mers virus and the symptoms. Image: viyadafotolia - fotolia Second Mers Fall in Thailand
According to the news agency dpa, the authorities also registered the first Mers case in June 2015 with a man from Oman. The patient had been treated in Thailand and declared healthy. At that time, no other people in the country were infected with the virus. The virus is circulating in particular on the Arabian Peninsula, where it has already claimed several hundred deaths in recent years. Through travelers, the pathogen is sporadically carried to other parts of the world. In the spring of 2015, the fatal Mers virus was diagnosed in Germany by a patient who had come back from a holiday in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).
Greatest eruption outside the Arabian Peninsula
A wave of infection in South Korea is considered the largest outbreak so far outside the Arabian Peninsula. The first Mers case was reported in the country on May 20, 2015, although infections were declining in June, but the danger was not yet over. It was not until the end of July that the government declared the outbreak over. A total of 36 out of 186 people in South Korea who had the virus detected died. The World Health Organization (WHO) attributed the rapid spread of the virus to, among other things, a lack of knowledge about the disease and overcrowded emergency services.
Infection can be fatal
Mers-CoV was first identified in September 2012 in a patient with severe respiratory infection. Presumably, there were previously previously due to the virus diseases, but were not examined more closely. It is similar to the SARS virus and can cause flu-like symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath and coughing, as well as severe pneumonia. Mers also leads to kidney failure in contrast to SARS. In general, although Mers is considered less infectious, but more often leads to death, as is the case with many other infectious diseases. The disease can also run almost symptom-free. According to health experts, severe cases occur predominantly in people with chronic pre-existing conditions. The Mers virus is transmitted by camels, but other animals are suspected as possible carriers. A transfer from person to person is possible, but rarely according to current knowledge. (Ad)