A new SARS-like
virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), is
raising concerns among the World Health Organization (WHO) and global health
officials. Though the virus has shown limited transmissibility from human to
human, it has been extremely lethal, killing 27 of 49 infected individuals as
of May 29, 2013.
Health officials
continue to investigate the outbreak of MERS-CoV, which appears to be primarily
linked to a health care facility in eastern Saudi Arabia where 37 cases of
infection were reported. The remaining cases were reported by health officials
in France, Germany, Jordan, Qatar, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and the
United Kingdom in patients who had traveled to an affected area, or were in
close contact with infected persons.
New Avian Flu
Strain
A new avian flu strain – Avian Influenza A (H7N9) – has emerged
in mainland China and Taiwan. While there have been no cases of
sustained human-to-human transmission, as of May 29, 2013, 132
laboratory-confirmed cases of H7N9 have been reported, resulting in 36 deaths.
While cases of H7N9
continue to be reported in China, the rate of new infections appears to be
dropping. Between April 1 and April 29, 2013, 126 cases were confirmed, while
six new ones were reported between April 30 and May 29, 2013.
The US Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) has noted that the drop in the infection rate may be a
result of containment measures by the Chinese government and the change in
seasons. Much like traditional human flu viruses, bird flu viruses often
decline in the warmer months.
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