Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome Transmission in an Emergency Department

In an outbreak of 130 cases in Saudi Arabia, 80% were healthcare associated, and of these, most were likely transmitted in the ED.

Middle-East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes sporadic outbreaks in the Middle East and, like most respiratory viruses, is easily transmissible, raising the possibility of an imported epidemic in non-endemic countries. Investigators in Saudi Arabia evaluated an epidemic of 130 MERS cases in 2015 to determine the likely locus of infection.

Thirty-three percent of cases occurred in healthcare workers. Eighty percent of all cases were healthcare-associated, and 54% of these were associated with an emergency department (ED) visit.

Reviewing Author

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome Transmission in an Emergency Department

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Reviewing Author