MERS wake-up call for Bangladesh health officials to take preparation, raise awareness

The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has once again given a wake-up call to Bangladeshi authorities to take a foolproof preparation and raise awareness.

Last year, this unique coronavirus was a cause for concern ahead of Hajj preparation. This time, it returned to haunt the authorities after South Korea onslaught.
 
South Korea has confirmed 182 cases resulting to 31 deaths in the largest outbreak of this deadly virus outside Saudi Arabia where it was first identified in 2012.
 
World Health Organization says the understanding of this new virus and the disease it causes globally is still evolving.
 
Bangladesh’s health ministry on Sunday convened a meeting with minister Mohammed Nasim in the chair to take stock of possibilities of the virus spreading in the country and preparations made thereof.
 
The minister asked all to take preparations and create awareness about the virus, officials who were present at the meeting told bdnews24.com.
 
As for himself, Nasim told media that there was “nothing to be panicked about” at this moment.
 
The meeting was convened following WHO’s recommendations that countries must take preparations and build awareness in the wake of South Korea situation.
 
“We have made preparations,” Prof Mahmudur Rahman, Director of the government’s disease monitoring arm, IEDCR, told bdnews24.com.
 
He is also a member of the WHO panel of experts on MERS emergency committee that makes technical decision based on which WHO chief gives her decision.
 
“We have decided to keep our isolation units functioning at all districts and disseminate information about the virus. At every hospital we have trained doctors who can manage such patients,” he said.
 
The IEDCR first recorded a MERS case in Bangladesh in June last year. The person recuperated.
 
But later after further analysis, IEDCR said the person was tested MERS ‘negative’.
 
Prof Rahman said at the time new methods were being developed and two methods were giving two different readings.
 
So they had to analyse the sample further, the result of which, done with the help of US CDC, came negative.
 
That means Bangladesh has no MERS case yet.
 
He said there was now a globally established method to test them. “We can also test them here (IEDCR)”.
 
The UN agency WHO does not advise any screening at the port of entry, but it suggests countries to take information of the passengers who travel back from an affected country.
 
However, WHO has not issued any travel restriction advisory -- it has issued guidelines for those planning to travel to middle-eastern countries, particularly for pilgrimages.
 
Hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis live in the Middle-East nations.
 
But Prof Rahman said they were “unlikely to carry the virus since they live there and once infected they’ll have to take treatment in those countries”.
 
The person IEDCR had notified as infected with MERS virus last year was on transit in Abu Dhabi.
 
WHO suggested covering mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, washing hands, and keeping a distance of one metre with other persons who have fever and breathing distress.
 
Fever, cough, shortness of breath and diarrhoea generally show up as a symptom of MERS. But these are also common ailments in some countries like Bangladesh.
 
The virus can pass from person to person.
 
Those who are suffering ailments like diabetes, lung disease, and immunodeficiency are advised to avoid travelling in the affected countries as they are more likely to develop severe infection for MERS if they are exposed to the virus.