Increased awareness on MERS-CoV sought for Mecca pilgrims

MANILA, Philippines - The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to scale up awareness about the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) among pilgrims planning to go to Mecca, Saudi Arabia for the Hajj as the disease is still a threat to public health.

“Situation on MERS-CoV continues to be of concern, especially given anticipated increase in travel to Saudi Arabia related to Umra, Ramadan, Hajj,” the WHO posted on its Twitter account.

“Countries should strengthen efforts to implement, increase education on basic infection prevention and control measures, especially among health workers,” it added.

The WHO said there is still no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission of MERS-CoV in the communities.

The health agency also noted that it was agreed during a recent meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on MERS-CoV that “the situation remains serious in terms of public health impact.”

The Atlanta-based Center for Disease Control and Prevention describes Hajj in its website as the “largest mass gathering in the world.” Over two million Muslims from around the world make the Hajj every year.

The timing of Hajj varies but for this year, it is expected to fall between Oct. 3 to 6.

As of May 2014, more than 635 MERS-CoV cases have been reported to WHO.

“The virus appears to be circulating widely throughout the Arabian Peninsula and most MERS cases have been reported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” WHO said.

While most cases have occurred among residents, some cases have occurred among visitors, the agency added.

But based on currently available information, the overall risk for visitors to acquire MERS-CoV infection appears to be low. The currently known epidemiological patterns have indicated some infections occur in communities.

“Cases detected in the community may arise from contact with infected animals or unprocessed products from infected animals, from person-to-person spread in the community, or from acquisition in the healthcare setting by individuals who remained living in the community,” WHO said.

Recent investigative findings “increasingly support the hypothesis that camels are an important source of exposure to MERS in the community,” it added.