Yesterday, the media from Italy reported that an additional 10 to 12 individuals were infected with the MERS-CoV, but the individuals were asymptomatic. These individuals reportedly included doctors and nurses. Today, a second round of testing on eight of these individuals produced negative results [1]. Based on the number of confirmed cases to date, MERS-CoV is a deadly disease. The presence or absence of asymptomatic or mild cases of MERS-CoV is an important component in understanding how this disease spreads. Hopefully, the confusion over the number of infected individuals and the MERS-CoV testing results will be cleared up soon by public health officials in Italy.
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
The announcement today of an additional 10-12 asymptomatic MERS cases in Florence, Italy, raises the specter of silent human-to-human transmission. The map depicts the locations of clusters of confirmed and suspected MERS-CoV cases in Europe and North Africa.
An Expanding Cluster of MERS-CoV Cases in Italy
vivien
June 03, 2013
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As of yesterday, three confirmed cases of MERS-CoV were reported in Italy.[1] Today, another 10+ asymptomatic cases have been reported by the media in Florence.[2-4] It is difficult to draw a conclusion from these media reports.
Are these individuals actually positive for the MERS-CoV virus?
Is this a local coronavirus variant that is spreading from the initial index case in Italy?
Does this indicate that MERS-CoV is actually a wide-spread coronavirus, a coronavirus with less virulence than expected?
More questions than answers now until official results are presented.
[2] http://www.giornalettismo.com/archives/964227/coronavirus-dieci-casi-positivi-di-nuova-sars-in-italia/ h/t tetano