As the pilgrimage to Mecca is in full swing, the Saudi Arabian health ministry announced the death of a Saudi man on Saturday, July 27, caused by the MERS coronavirus. In a new study published in the journal The Lancet, the experts want to be reassuring when low pandemic potential of this virus, despite the deaths of 39 people in the country since September 2012.
For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) advises travelers returning from a recent stay in the Middle East and who show signs of a severe acute respiratory infection, to undergo screening. “Where possible, samples from the lower respiratory tract of these patients should be obtained for diagnosis. Clinicians are reminded that MERS-CoV infection should be considered even in the presence of atypical signs or symptoms such as diarrhea in immunocompromised patients, ”notes the Organization.
Various symptoms
Indeed, the new coronavirus, which would particularly affect elderly men suffering from chronic diseases, can cause “acute and severe respiratory disorders accompanied by fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing”, explains the WHO. But many of the patients also experienced “gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea. Some have had kidney failure.”
If Saudi Arabia has decided not to issue visas to the most fragile people (the elderly, pregnant women, children and people with chronic diseases) this year, the WHO estimates that a particular screening at points of entry country or travel restrictions are not required.
