Mangalore, May 21: Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, were the home for Mers Corona virus. Now the virus is feared to be spreading in Karnataka, mainly in the coastal cities as a large number of people from Gulf countries arrive through Mangalore airport.
In airports, health check-up of passengers arriving from the Gulf countries are not conducted. According to the state health department, it is the central government that has to give instructions to conduct check-ups of passengers.
In the next few days, Mers Corona virus test may be conducted at Mangalore and Bangalore airports as this virus could spread fast by just shaking hands or talking to an infected person from a close range.
Before you start fearing about this, you should know something about the disease. MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) is viral respiratory illness that first surfaced in Saudi Arabia in April 2012. It is caused by a corona virus called MERS-CoV. The disease is referred to as Coronaviruses as they have crown-like projections on their surfaces. Recently, it has been confirmed that Arabian camel is the origin of the infectious disease. Risks related to MERS-CoV include pneumonia, kidney failure and death.
The symptoms of the disease are: Cough, Mucous, Shortness of breath, Chest pain, Fever, Diarrhea, Pneumonia and Kidney failure.
According to CDC and WHO, there are no specific treatments and vaccine recommended for illnesses caused by MERS-CoV. Utmost, doctors can provide supportive medical care to help relieve the symptoms and provide required treatment to prevent, control or relieve complications and side effects.
Tips for protection against the virus: It is advised to wash one’s hands often with soap to avoid the spread of infection. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Covering one’s nose and mouth with a tissue while cough or sneeze will be useful. If hands are unwashed, touching eyes, nose and mouth should be avoided. Close contact, such as kissing, sharing cups, or sharing eating utensils, with sick people should be avoided.
