Singapore Med J 2014; 55(6): 293; http://dx.doi.org/10.11622/smedj.2014075
Respiratory precautions for MERS-CoV: acceptable risk-benefit determination
Hsu LY
Correspondence: Dr Hsu Li Yang, li_yang_hsu@nuhs.edu.sg
As of May 29, 2014, there have been 636 laboratoryconfirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), with 193 deaths, which translates into a case fatality rate of 30.3%.(1) There is currently no specific treatment for the infection other than supportive medical care. The majority of recent cases appeared to arise from human-to-human transmission and have mainly occurred within the healthcare setting.(2) Although Singapore has had no MERS-CoV cases to date, we remain at continued risk for MERS-CoV importation in view of the significant number of travellers to and from the Middle East for religious (i.e. Umrah and Hajj), recreational, medical and business purposes.
Singapore Med J 2014; 55(6): 293; http://dx.doi.org/10.11622/smedj.2014075
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