Lapses in infection control associated with spread of severe respiratory virus MERS, according to study

Little is known about the often fatal virus known as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), but researchers have identified gaps in infection control as a major culprit in all eleven published cases involving healthcare-associated transmission of the virus. The full findings of the review can be found in the December issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). Researchers from the Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Athens, Greece, reviewed 252 papers on MERS-CoV, ultimately narrowing their focus to 10 studies covering 11 cases of possible or confirmed healthcare-associated transmission of the virus, which causes severe respiratory disease with a high fatality rate. Although the majority of cases have occurred in Middle Eastern countries since the virus first appeared in 2012, there have also been documented cases in Europe, Africa, and the United States....