Mers not an emergency for region, says WHO

There is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission of the Mers Coronavirus although the seriousness of the situation has increased in terms of public health impact, according to an emergency committee of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The conditions for declaring a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) have not yet been met, said the committee that discussed the current situation of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in a teleconference meeting on Tuesday, in response to the recent increase of the number of people affected by the disease.

The committee emphasised that its concern about the situation had significantly increased, due to the recent rise in cases; systemic weaknesses in infection prevention and control, as well as gaps in critical information, and possible exportation of cases to especially vulnerable countries.

While the spread of the virus has been most apparent in the Middle Eastern region, with Saudi Arabia having seen most cases, rare cases of infection have appeared in western countries, with the latest case reported in the Netherlands and two cases reported in the US.

There have been 571 confirmed cases of Mers, including 171 deaths, according to the World Health Organisation. The number of countries with confirmed cases has expanded to 18, up to date.

A public health emergency state is declared when an event constitutes a public health risk to other states through the international spread of disease and requires a coordinated international response. This state of emergency was declared twice before; once with the spread of swine flu in 2009, and a second time this month due to the unexpected resurgence of the nearly eradicated polio.

Although the state of emergency was not declared over the current events related to the spread of the Mers-CoV, the committee urged all countries to improve national policies for infection prevention and control, and implement them in healthcare facilities, whereas this is most urgent for affected countries. Countries that are particularly vulnerable, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, must receive the needed support.

Further, it advised the enhancement of the general awareness about the Mers-CoV and development of effective risk communication for the general public, health professionals, at-risk groups, and policy makers. Specific recommendations should be issued regarding mass gatherings to prevent further spread of Mers-CoV.

More information should be gathered about the disease through critical investigations, including case-control, serological, environmental, and animal studies, to better understand the epidemiology, especially risk factors and assess the effectiveness of control measures; and information sharing across ministries and with relevant international organisations, especially with the World Organisation for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations should be strengthened.

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