MERS Not International Emergency But Risk Of Spread To Ebola-Stricken Africa, WHO Says

Media outlets report on the outcomes of the WHO Emergency Committee meeting on Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

CIDRAP: WHO panel: MERS still not an international emergency
“Following a summer lull of MERS-CoV cases but a renewed trickle in recent weeks, and amid worldwide worries about Ebola, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Emergency Committee on MERS has concluded that the outbreak still falls short of representing a public health emergency of international concern…” (Roos, 10/1).

Reuters: Reeling from Ebola, WHO warns of MERS risk to Africa
“Vulnerable countries, especially in Africa, need to defend themselves against the possible seasonal spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in the first half of 2015, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. A WHO Emergency Committee recommended steps ‘to strengthen infection prevention control practices, build capacity of health care workers, and provide protective equipment in vulnerable countries, especially African countries’…” (Miles, 10/1).

WHO: WHO statement on the Seventh Meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee regarding MERS-CoV
“The seventh meeting of the Emergency Committee (EC) convened by the Director-General under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) regarding the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was conducted with members and advisers of the Emergency Committee through electronic correspondence from 26 September 2014 through 30 September 2014. The WHO Secretariat provided an update on and assessment of epidemiological and scientific developments, including a description of recently reported cases and transmission patterns…” (10/1).

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