Earth Watch Report - Epidemic Hazards
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| 05.07.2013 | Epidemic Hazard | United Kingdom | Capital City, London [St Thomas Hospital] |  |  |
Epidemic Hazard in United Kingdom on Thursday, 04 July, 2013 at 12:36 (12:36 PM) UTC.
| Description | |
| A man infected with a Sars-like respiratory illness has died in London, officials say. The Qatari man, who was being treated in an intensive care unit at St Thomas's hospital in central London, had contracted the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus - or Mers-CoV. Hospital officials said the man, who was 49 when he was admitted, died after his condition deteriorated. The patient, who was suffering from acute respiratory syndrome and renal failure, was admitted to an intensive care unit in Doha, Qatar, on 7 September last year. The man, who has not been named by officials, was transferred to the UK by air ambulance on 11 September. Before he became ill he had travelled to Saudi Arabia, officials said. Despite doctors' efforts to keep him alive, including connecting him to an artificial lung, he died on Friday last week. A hospital spokeswoman said: "Guy's and St Thomas's can confirm that the patient with severe respiratory illness due to novel coronavirus ... sadly died on Friday 28 June, after his condition deteriorated despite every effort and full supportive treatment." | |
| Biohazard name: | Mers-CoV (SARS-like virus) |
| Biohazard level: | 4/4 Hazardous |
| Biohazard desc.: | Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release. |
| Symptoms: | |
| Status: | confirmed |
Epidemic Hazard in United Kingdom on Thursday, 04 July, 2013 at 12:36 (12:36 PM) UTC.
Back| Updated: | Friday, 05 July, 2013 at 03:17 UTC |
| Description | |
| A Qatari man has died in a British hospital from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus which has been causing increasing alarm among world health experts, officials said. The death brings to 43 the number of people to date who have died from the SARS-like infection, which has an extremely high mortality rate. The unnamed 49-year-old man had been in a London hospital since September 2012 receiving treatment for acute symptoms from the virus, having earlier been airlifted from the Qatari capital Doha. The man had previously traveled to Saudi Arabia where the majority of cases have been concentrated. He died last week after his condition sharply deteriorated, a spokeswoman for Guy's and St Thomas' hospital said. MERS is a member of the coronavirus family, which includes the pathogen that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The World Health Organization (WHO) said on June 26 that 77 laboratory-confirmed cases had surfaced worldwide with 40 deaths. Saudi Arabia announced two further deaths on Wednesday. | |
The Telegraph
Middle East virus claims third life as fears of pandemic spread
A man being treated in a London hospital for a lethal 'Sars-like' Middle Eastern virus has died.
The patient had severe respiratory illness due to novel coronavirus (MERS-nCV) Photo: Health Protection Agency/AP
The
man, a Qatari national, had been admitted to a private clinic in London
in September, before being transferred to the specialist centre at
Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital.
He was
diagnosed as suffering from the Mers virus – Middle East Respiratory
Syndrome – which has affected 77 people worldwide, with 43 deaths.
"Guy's
and St Thomas' can confirm that the patient with severe respiratory
illness due to novel coronavirus (MERS-nCV) sadly died on Friday 28
June, after his condition deteriorated, despite every effort and full
supportive treatment," said Robin Wilkinson, a spokesman for the
hospital.
The death of the Qatari man brings to three the number of victims who have died in the UK.
In
February two members of the same family died from the virus. One, a
39-year-old man, died in Birmingham having picked up the virus from his
father, who had recently travelled to Saudi Arabia. The father then died
around a month later in Manchester's Wythenshaw hospital. A female
relative was also treated for mild Mers symptoms, raising fears of
human-to-human contact.
The disease is spread by people coughing or sneezing and can cause breathing difficulties, lung damage and pneumonia.Known cases of the illness have quadrupled since April, and it is deadlier than Sars, which killed 774 people in 2003. SARS killed one in ten affected people; Mers has proved fatal in 65 per cent of cases.
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