Second U.S. case of MERS | SMCC Experts Available | May 14, 2014
On Monday May 12, 2014 the U.S. Centres of Disease control reported the “unwelcome but not unexpected” news that a second person in the US has been diagnosed with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. This second case, which occurred in Florida, follows a case reported May 2 in Indiana. Both cases involved people who had recently arrived in the U.S. from Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday, a statement was released by the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization. It concluded that “the seriousness of the situation had increased in terms of public health impact, but that there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission” and that “the conditions for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) have not yet been met.
MERS is known to be caused by a coronavirus, in the same family as that which causes Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The virus has been known for more than two years, but there has been a rise in cases in recent weeks; so far around the world there have been 538 lab-confirmed cases of MERS and 145 deaths. Of those, 450 of the cases and 118 of the deaths have been in Saudi Arabia. Fact sheets on MERS are available from the Public Health Agency of Canada and can be accessed here and here.
Below are some Canadian experts who can comment the implications of this finding.
If you need further help finding an expert on this topic, call us at 514-887-8279 or 613-301-1187.
_____
Director of Infection Control, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
Dr. McGeer is an infectious disease epidemiologist whose major areas of research interest are in the prevention of hospital and nursing home acquired infections, adult immunization, influenza, and antibiotic resistance. She has been interviewed extensively about SARS and can talk about the contrasts between that outbreak and MERS.
(Dr. McGeer is travelling this week and is available only by e-mail Wednesday and Thursday afternoon)
Canada Research Chair in Neuro-Immuno-Virology and director of the Laboratory of Neuroimmunovirology at the Armand-Frappier Institute, INRS
Prof. Talbot is an expert in coronaviruses, the family of respiratory pathogens that include some forms of the common cold as well as SARS and MERS. He studies the connections between these viruses and diseases of the neurological system such as multiple sclerosis, as well as ways to increase immunity.
Infectious disease physician, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
Dr. Khan is an infectious disease specialist and founder of the Bio.Diaspora Project, a multidisciplinary study of global population mobility via commercial air travel and its role as a conduit for the international spread of infectious diseases with pandemic potential
Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Dr. Fisman is an epidemiologist who uses computer models to analyze the spread of infectious diseases, including everything from the flu to MERS. Last fall he published a comment article in The Lancet Infectious Diseases discussing estimation of the infectiousness of MERS from reported case numbers.
Canada Research Chair on emerging viruses and antiviral resistance, Université Laval
Dr Boivin is author or co-author of 160 publications and 206 communications at conventions and international symposiums. His research program focuses mainly on the diagnostic, pathogenesis, and treatment of viral infections. He is particularly interested in herpes viruses and respiratory viruses (including avian flu). Dr Boivin uses cellular biology technology as well as animal models to develop rapid DNA-based diagnostic tests, to evaluate new antiviral drugs, and to elucidate the mechanisms of resistance against antiviral drugs. Dr Boivin has coordinated many multi-center studies aimed at evaluating the epidemiology and clinical impact of emerging viruses. He collaborates with fundamental and clinical research groups at McGill University, University of Toronto, and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta.
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Associate Member, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University
Dr. Divangahi studies the body’s immune response to respiratory infectious diseases, particularly influenza or tuberculosis. This immune response would be very similar to those caused by coronaviruses like SARS and MERS.
Head of Infectious Diseases Section, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Manitoba
Dr. Rubinstein has 30 years of experience studying infectious diseases including respiratory infections like SARS. He has worked in both Canada and Israel.
-30-
