Majority of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (Mers-CoV) infections in Abu Dhabi have occurred within healthcare facilities with one patient infecting 12 persons in one hospital in just one case according to a research published in a health journal.

Mers-CoV in healthcare settings accounts for more than 40 per cent of all reported infections in Abu Dhabi at an estimated attack rate of 16 per cent which is four times higher than average household transmission estimates it said.Of 65 Mers-CoV patients identified during the investigation period (July 1 2013-May 9 2014) and reported to Abu Dhabi Health Authority (HAAD) 27 (42 per cent) were associated with health-care facilities and 19 (70 per cent) of them were healthcare workers; six (22 per cent) were hospitalised patients and two (7per cent) were hospital visitors.

Epidemiologic and genetic sequencing findings suggested that three healthcare clusters of Mers-CoV infection occurred ranging from three to 21 case-patients."We found that healthcare-associated transmission occurred predominantly when healthcare workers patients and visitors were exposed to an infected person before recognition of Mers-CoV and implementation of appropriate infection prevention measures" wrote the researchers in the journal of Emerging Infectious Dis-eases (EID) by the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC).

The research study focuses on Transmission of Middle East Re-spiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infections in Healthcare Settings Abu Dhabi and was published in EID earlier this week."These findings underscore the importance of early detection and intervention to limit spread of dis-ease" added the researchers.Most cases reported from Abu Dhabi during March-April 2014 when the region had a sharp increase in infections primarily involved healthcare workers (HCWs) and patients with recent healthcare exposure.The largest healthcare cluster in the investigation was when one patient appeared to have directly infected 12 persons in one hospital resulting in a total of 21 healthcare associated infections."Our findings add to previously reported examples of more extensive transmission occurring in healthcare facilities in South Korea Saudi Arabia and Jordan and suggest that in the absence of appropriate infection prevention measures healthcare settings may be particularly efficient for Mers-CoV transmission" said the researchers led by Dr Jennifer Hunter an epidemiologist specialising in infectious disease at the CDC.

Last year Dr Stefan Weber consultant microbiologist at Shaikh Khalifa Medical City Abu Dhabi told Khaleej Times that the number of cases in the emirate was "huge" because infection control procedures were not done diligently."An infected person kept visiting the hospital and spread the infection ... Though healthcare workers say they were wearing masks they were still infected by the virus" he explained. "This also means that infected clothing was removed in a wrong way."By early September 2015 a total of 74 patients with laboratory confirmed Mers-CoV infection were reported in UAE.

South Korea warns visitors to Gulf

On Saturday South Korean travellers to the Gulf region were warned by the Korean Centres for Disease Control (KCDC) and Prevention to be more careful since Mers was spreading again in the region including in Saudi Arabia the UAE and Oman.

Some 69 Mers cases have occurred in the Gulf region since January. Saudi Arabia alone has 65 cases and the number of patients is quickly increasing said the warning. Mers-CoV is a novel coro-navirus first identified in the Middle East region in 2012. The main symptoms of Mers-CoV are cough shortness of breath and breathing difficulties diarrhea and high fever.

Asma Ali Zain Associated with KT for 15 years. Covers health issues Pakistan community human interest stories as well as general topics for daily news or features.