Health officials in the United Kingdom are investigating two suspected cases of Middle Eastern Respiratory Virus Syndrome (MERS) at a hospital in the city of Manchester, in northern England.
Advertisement
‘Manchester Royal Infirmary Accident and Emergency Department will be closed until further notice while further investigations take place.’.
It was first identified in Saudi Arabia, but an outbreak occurred in South Korea due to one infected person returning from a visit to the Middle East. MES has also been imported by travelers to at least 25 countries worldwide since it first emerged in 2012.
Dr Rosemary McCann, north-west deputy director of health protection, said: “We are aware of two individuals being tested for Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers-CoV) in Manchester”.
Mers-CoV is a highly lethal infection believed to have been transmitted to humans by camels.
Tests on the patients are continuing at Manchester Royal Infirmary, which has been shut as a precaution.
Publishing their finding in the journal PNAS, researchers said the antibody – LCA60 – binds to a unique site on the viral spike protein and appears to neutralise the infection of Mers-CoV by interfering with the binding to CD26 – the cellular receptor for the virus.
“Both patients have been isolated for ongoing clinical treatment and management of their condition”. Approximately 36% of reported patients with Mers have died.
She added: “The risk to UK residents travelling to Middle Eastern countries may be slightly higher than within the UK but is still very low”.
The hospital confirmed two patients were being tested for the illness.
There was a recent outbreak of MERS in South Korea.
Dr Derek Gatherer, a lecturer at the University of Lancaster, said: ” Outside hospitals the risk to the general public is extremely low and the outbreak ought not to cause concern.
There is no specific vaccine or treatment for MERS, although medications for it are now being studied.
Advertisement
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
