First MERS death in Algeria reported. and First case of MERS in Bangladesh

MERS was discovered in September 2012 in a Qatari man who had traveled to Saudi Arabia. The virus, which causes coughing, fever and pneumonia, does not appear to be as contagious as its cousin SARS, which killed some 800 people in a 2003 epidemic.

In addition to Saudi Arabia, which is worst hit by the virus, MERS infections have been reported in a number of other countries including France, Germany, Italy, Britain, the United States, and more recently Iran.

And now, MERS arrives in Algeria and Bangladesh.

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Algeria
Arab News
12 June 2014

An Algerian man in his fifties has died of the MERS virus, the first such fatality in the country, the Health Ministry announced Tuesday.

The 59-year-old victim was among the first two cases of the deadly coronavirus to be discovered in Algeria late last month.

Both men had just returned from Saudi Arabia, where most cases and deaths from the disease have been reported.

The unnamed man died after 11 days in hospital in the town of Tlemcen, 600 km west of Algiers, following a deterioration of his vital functions overnight Monday.

The condition of the second confirmed MERS case, a 66-year-old man hospitalized in Kolea near Algiers, is improving, the Health Ministry said.





Bangladesh
Daily Star
15 June 2014

Scientists have identified a Bangladeshi expatriate to be the first ever person disgnosed with MERS corona virus in the country.

The 53-year old Bangladeshi expatriate arrived in Dhaka from New York via Abu Dhabi two weeks ago, said Dr Moshtak Hossain, principal scientific officer of the Institute of IEDCR, Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control & Research (IEDCR).

The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which was first identified in 2012, has affected a total of 700 people in 22 countries of the world. Most of them were found in Saudi Arabia, he told The Daily Star.

Of the total 700 people, 209 persons, or around 30 percent, died, he said.

As per the rules, the IEDCR has reported to the World Health Organisation.

Scientists have yet to identify the source of the virus, but camels are suspected to be the major source, Dr Moshtak added.

The symptoms of those affected by the virus are respiratory problems, coughs and cold.

"If anybody feels so, we advise them to report to the nearest hospital," he said.

The IEDCR would arrange a desk at the Shahjalal International Airport in a day or two for those travelling from the Middle East for a check up.

"We would not check the travellers. But if anyone wants, he or she can report to us," the physician said.