Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome and Hajj

This time Hajj visa has been restricted for old and sick people because of fear of epidemic Middle-East respiratory corona virus outbreak.
Corona virus affects respiratory system very early and may cause acute respiratory distress syndrome which may need ICU care. Case fatality is also high. Mode of transmission not yet very clear, but the disease may be transmitted through respiratory route as droplet infection; fortunately person to person transmission is low. So in a huge gathering like Hajj, spread of the disease is very likely. Corona virus like other viruses affects the persons who are elderly and having less immunity, malnourished, especially with diabetes or other chronic diseases.
World Health Organisation (WHO) is very concerned, but announced that Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) — the new Coronavirus in the Middle-East is not yet considered a public health emergency. They requested all the member states to continue surveillance for the MERS.
Though the situation is not an emergency one at present, but WHO says the situation is a serious one. To date, MERS has infected near 100 people and killed about 50 people.
Thus far, all confirmed cases can be traced back to one of four Middle Eastern countries: Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. But the majority of cases have occurred in Saudi Arabia the same country millions of pilgrims are now flocking to for Hajj and Umrah.
The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a novel coronavirus  first reported on 24 September 2012, by Egyptian virologist Dr. Ali Mohamed Zaki in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
MERS has an incubation period of about 12 days. After initial attack, there appears fever, malaise, cough, severe pneumonia and then renal failure and subsequently multi organ failure.
So those who are planning to perform Hajj and Umrah must be careful about the disease and should follow the instruction provided by the Saudi Health authority. Early detection and prompt treatment is the key strategy to save life.

The author is a Professor of Paediatrics at Community Based Medical College, Mymensingh.
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