Lisa Judd | July 5 2013 10:09 EDT
ForexTV.com (New York) by Lisa Judd
Coronavirus claims another life. The World Health Organization (WHO) has formed an Emergency Committee to prepare for an emergency or epidemic. The meeting is to take place on Tuesday via a telephone conference. Keiji Fukada, WHO flu expert said the meeting is to help the “international community” be prepared for any possibility.
The World Health Organization (WHO) met for four days in June about the disease, has now formed an emergency committee of international experts to prepare if the virus becomes a more global concern. The virus is more deadly than SARS with the death rate at about 54%. The virus is not easily transmitted from human contact. Exposure and transmission needs prolonged exposure in close quarters.
The coronavirus found mostly in Saudi Arabia has affected residents and visitors to the area. The coronavirus or MERS-CoV for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus was discovered in September 2012, a form of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Both viruses’ cause flu-like symptoms but MERS-CoV also causes kidney failure. In May the virus claimed 22 lives and there were 44 confirmed cases, as of today there are 77 confirmed cases and 43 deaths. At this time there is no global concern. Most of the cases came from an unidentified animal source, only a few were from human to human contact. The worry is that the virus may be mutating. SARS virus back in 2002 mutated within 8 months and enabled it to spread easily from person to person.
Cases have been in Jordan, Qatar, Saudi, Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as travelers infected from France, Germany, Italy, Tunisia and the UK.
The most recent death from the virus was a 49 year old man in the UK who flew in from Qatar in September. He was treated in Saudi Arabia, but was flown into London when his health declined. He was being treated at Guy’s and St. Thomas Hospital in London for breathing difficulties and kidney failure he passed away on Thursday.
Fukada, said “there is no current epidemic or emergency but the experts would advise on how to tackle the disease if the number of cases suddenly grows.” At this time there are no travel restrictions to the area, but precaution is to be taken and governments need to be on the lookout for atypical respiratory infection patterns.
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About :
Lisa Judd is a career healthcare professional with over 20 years as a healthcare administrator; including a challenging and rewarding tenure at the Nassau County Correctional Facility. Administering health services to an incarcerated population has provided a unique and profound perspective on life. Nowhere is the spectrum of the human experience more broadly manifested.
Lisa is a regular contributor to ForexTV in the areas of health. wellness and fitness. She is mother of three children, a competitive athlete and a professional journalist.