Roper advises preventive care to combat MERS virus | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post, Kathryn Kennedy, is a contributor to ECU News Services.

    The Centers for Disease Control has issued travel advisories urging simple measures to prevent the spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), following the second confirmed case of the virus in the United States.

    MERS is a Corona virus – similar to SARS – that leads to fever, cough and shortness of breath, with about a 30 percent fatality rate. ECU professor Rachel Roper, Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Brody School of Medicine, is a virologist who was involved in the sequencing and analysis of the first SARS genome as well as the development of vaccines against SARS.

    Roper said the primary concerns related to MERS are the high fatality rate and its potential to mutate into a virus that spreads more easily from human to human. Global travel increases the spread of the disease and there are no drugs or vaccines to treat or prevent it, she said.

    Close human-to-human contact is now spreading the disease, and infection may occur before symptoms appear. She advises frequent hand washing, which removes viruses before they can get into the eyes, nose or mouth, and avoiding persons demonstrating respiratory symptoms or anyone who has had contact with known MERS-infected individuals.

    Face masks can protect against airborne droplets and virus particles as well, she said. Because viruses are always evolving, Roper said that ongoing research and constant surveillance by health agencies will help to protect public health.
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