French health authorities have isolated two people who have been confirmed to be infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) after returning from the Arabian Peninsula. Both patients are in a stable condition, but the authorities are also monitoring the other members of their tourist group as a precaution.
In France, they isolated two people who were confirmed to have Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) — a viral disease caused by the MERS-CoV coronavirus. Both patients, who are currently in a “stable” condition in hospital, recently traveled to the Arabian Peninsula, the French health ministry said in a statement on Wednesday evening. This was reported by the AFP agency, writes TASR.
- Two cases of MERS have been confirmed in France.
- Patients who recently returned from the Arabian Peninsula are in stable condition.
- MERS is a more deadly variant of SARS and is mainly transmitted by camels.
- Human-to-human transmission of the virus is rare but possible.
- In France, the last cases of MERS were recorded in 2013.
Humans usually contract the virus from camels
MERS is a deadlier but less contagious variant of acute respiratory failure syndrome (SARS), which spread from China in the early 2000s. The MERS coronavirus — the causative agent of the disease — probably came from bats, but humans usually catch it from camels.
The Ministry of Health reported that measures were taken to limit the risk of virus transmission. Other members of the tourist group are monitored. None of them have yet shown symptoms of this respiratory disease, the incubation period of which is five to 15 days.
Human-to-human transmission of the virus is rare
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, MERS has claimed 958 lives out of 2,640 reported cases from 2012 to November this year, mostly in Saudi Arabia.
The disease causes symptoms similar to COVID-19 — fever, cough and difficulty breathing. The ministry said that human-to-human transmission of the virus is “rare” but “possible through direct or indirect contact, respiratory droplets and occasionally through the air.” “This applies primarily to healthcare workers performing medical interventions in the course of treatment or people sharing a common household,” the statement said.
The ministry said only two cases of MERS have been reported in France so far, in 2013.
