Dr. Mackay updates a MERS chart: 'festivals to avoid camel contact'

Dr. Mackay updates a MERS chart: 'festivals to avoid camel contact'  HT: Croft.

On his VDU's blog, Dr. Ian Mackay posts Snapdate: MERS-CoV detections by where they were probably acquired....

...yeah it's "probably" because sometimes it's just not clear to anyone. I've about 14 (554 in total) more cases attributed to a likely source in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) compared to the Ministry of Health tally on their website (540), but such is life. 

Anyway, I haven't updated this chart for 17-days (woah - sorry about that). The latest version now has the two major hospital-related outbreaks shown in pink - I'm still liking the Janadriyah festival as the possible source of community cases that then filter back throughout the country as visitors and tourists return to different areas or travel afterwards for other reasons. That would be on my 2015's "festivals that need to be tweaked to avoid camel contact" list. 

As per yesterday's post, these accumulation curves highlight that new detections of MERS-CoV have slowed right down in the KSA and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, the UAE are now the reporting slow pokes, if the last batch posted by the World Health Organization is anything to go by, so we should stay tuned to what's happening there (and also stay tuned to the extent of upper respiratory tract signs and symptoms in those cases which continue to bug me).

CDC interim MERS guidance for airline crews, what about passengers?

CDC interim MERS guidance for airline crews, what about passengers? HT: Croft.

CDC has published Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Interim Guidance for Airline Crew: Report Ill Travelers on Flights Arriving to the United States. Click through for the full document and links. Excerpt:

This document provides interim guidance for the commercial airline industry about the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Because this is a new virus in humans, CDC is following this situation closely, and we are coordinating with our domestic and international partners. 

MERS situation update 

MERS is associated with severe respiratory illness and death, but is not very common. Some people who have traveled to the Arabian Peninsula and neighboring countries have been infected. It has also spread to several countries outside this region. These cases have had a direct or indirect connection to the Middle East and Saudi Arabia. 

MERS has spread between people who were in close and prolonged contact with an infected person, such as a family member or patients and health care workers in hospitals. 

See the links below for the latest updates. 

Please report to CDC ill travelers (with symptoms below) arriving from countries in and near the Arabian Peninsula: These countries include Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), and Yemen. 

Please report as soon as possible—before arrival—by one of the methods described in the Guidance for Air Travel Industry on Reporting of Onboard Deaths or Illnesses to CDC. 

Report to CDC if the ill person: 

• feels warm to the touch, gives a history of feeling feverish, or has an actual measured temperature of 100° F (37.8° C) or higher, PLUS 

• has a cough or difficulty breathing. 

Please follow your company's policy for personal protection. 

CDC Quarantine Station staff will obtain information about the ill traveler’s exposures and other risk factors for infection with the MERS. If necessary, CDC staff will coordinate transport to a medical facility for evaluation and testing. CDC will update the airline about the results of the testing and any need for follow-up or treatment of exposed crew members or passengers.