Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus is the latest virus to concern the Centers for Disease Control, appearing 130 times so far in Middle East travelers.
This respiratory infection is due to a virus that has ‘gone wild’ and causes severe pneumonia and reduced oxygen levels in it’s victims. With an approximate 50% death rate, it is an emerging infection that will likely not spread widely, but which none-the-less is concerning for it’s potential to cause greater illness across the globe.
For those of us travelling to the Middle East it is a direct issue, but it still is possible to contact this if you are travelling internationally and are with people infected, but who do not know it, and who have recently visited the area.
Yes, this is an unlikely concern, but it is just this sort of virus that needs monitoring and rapid detection and treatment if we are to prevent epidemics from developing in the modern era of international travel.
We’ll keep you posted on any further developments, but you will be hearing more about this before it runs it’s course.