MERS: A Global Health Concern From the Middle East - Essay Sample

Introduction

As the name suggests, the Middle East respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was first reported in the Middle East in 2012. Since its discovery, it has affected more than 2000 people in more than 12 countries. It has spread to four continents; hence it has become one of the global health concerns. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is the bedrock of the infection. The country has unique cultures because of the Islamic practices that bring Muslims from all over the world and in the process creating an environment where the virus spreads faster (Nassar, Bakhrebah, Meo, Alsuabeyl & Zaher, 2018). Respiratory illness occurred as a result of Middle East respiratory Syndrome, and the Middle East is the primary region where it has taken roots. The other places where it spread include North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Middle East has the highest preference with 88% of the cases while Asia is the second with 11%. Europe has 0.8% while USA has 0.1% of cases. The diseas is transmitted from animals to people and can spread between people. It was discovered in a 60-year old man who had different signs and admitted to a private hospital. The signs and symptoms found from the patient include high fever, shortness of breath, expectoration, and cough. The preference was high in men than female at initial stages. The ratio of male-to-female was found to be 2.8:1 and 3.3:1 (Jaffar & Ziad, 2014). The high preference in male was associated with the nature of the disease and how it breaks. Initially, the median age of the patients diagnosed with the disease was 56 years. The cases of the disease increased on June 9, 2014, with 515 reported incidences to the World Health Organization while in 2nd June 2014 the cases were 113. Therefore, the condition has various preferences among the patients, and this is because of its nature and characteristics.

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Effects of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome is known to cause many health effects on people. First, it triggers severe acute respiratory syndrome. It is one of the many types of pneumonia that can lead to death if not managed effectively. It is associated with difficulty in breathing because the infection affects the healthy respiratory system. The virus spreads from animals to huma beings. It is also passed from human to human since it is airborne diseases (Jaffar & Ziad, 2014). For example, when someone with the virus sneezes, the particles fill the air and people can catch the virus. Therefore, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome causes severe acute respiratory syndrome which worsens during pregnancy and can lead to death.

In severe cases, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome can lead to failure of the respiratory system. A failing system requires mechanical ventilation performed in the intensive care unit. The immune system works in a coordinated way suggesting that all other organs of the body will not function effectively when one part does not function well (Nassar et al. 2018). For example, the failure of the respiratory system can lead to death if not managed quickly and accurately. Every organ in the body depends on other organs. Other organs are stressed when one is not functioning properly and stress leads to malfunctioning affecting the health of the body thus exposing the body to opportunistic infections. Therefore, MERS is a severe disease that requires global intervention because of the serious health effects it causes.

Moreover, all patients suffering from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome are reported to have some abnormal chest radiographs, and this is because of consolidation of the virus on the respiratory system. Research shows that over 60% of the first cases of the disease suffered from acute diseases requiring intensive care unit services (Shauna, Kerri, & Vincent, 2014). It shows the health implication of the disorder and likely effects if not managed and discovered in advance. Most of these patients suffered from hematological abnormalities like lymphopenia. Therefore, the disease causes some serious health problems.

The other health concern of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome is kidney failure which necessitates therapy for renal replacement. There are many cases reported as a result of MERS-CoV. In some of renal involvement cases, the pre-existing conditions help to explain the concept better (Shauna et al. 2014). For example, organ stress is one of the risk factors leading to kidney failure. Causes of organ stress include severe acute respiratory syndrome and high fever. Therefore, pre-existing conditions stress some body organs which lead to stress and eventually lead to kidney failure showing the health concerns of the disease.

Besides, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome appears to cause serious health problems at old age. It is because it integers and damages the immune system; hence the body cannot fight opportunistic infections. For example, most affected people are individuals suffering from diabetes mellitus and renal diseases. These are the most common diseases people suffer from at old age (Nassar et al. 2018). Therefore, the disease worsens the conditions of patients from such disease and triggers new infections which eventually lead to death. In this regard, it is essential to check the requirements of the old-age patients aiming to control and manage the spread of the diseases since it is difficult to maintain it in this preference group.

The morbidity and mortality preference rates are high in individuals suffering from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, and it is a health concern for healthcare officials. Diagnosis of MERS CoV infection is based on factors such as clinical history and blood cells which are complete as well as chest X-ray. The earliest findings of the tests include lymphopenia and leukocytosis. All these findings are associated with progressive infection (Nassar et al. 2018). Besides, MERS infection affects the liver and kidney efficiency leading to serious health concerns affecting the healthcare officials. They must develop ways and means of managing the disease so that it does not trigger other infections and conditions in the body.

Prognosis If Not Addressed

It is worth to note that most cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome occur in a healthcare setting. One outcome of failing to address the disease quickly is that it leads to more spreads because of the unprotected care contact between the healthcare practitioners and the patients. In any healthcare setting, there is a direct contact between patients and service providers which can lead to the spread of the diseases worsening the conditions instead of improving (Nassar et al. 2018). Therefore, it is the responsibility of the healthcare providers to take necessary precautions to avoid contracting the disease and transmit it to other patients ignorantly.

Also, if the problem cannot be addressed, more people will be at risk of contracting the disease. Research shows that the virus does not efficiently transmit from one person to another unless a healthcare provider provides unprotected care to a patient. It is mostly transmitted between human beings and animals. Therefore, unless the problem is addressed, people suffering from conditions such as diabetes mellitus, lung disease, and renal failure will be at high risk of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome infection. Therefore, the problem should be addressed by ensuring that the individuals understand the risk factors of the disease and avoid contact with animals like camels (Jaffar & Ziad, 2014). They should also take measures like avoiding drinking camel milk and eating meat that is not inspected and ensure that the meat is cooked correctly to prevent transmission of the disease. Therefore, failure to address the problem could lead to more new severe cases.

Also, failing to address the problem could lead to more deaths. The disease is not common in many parts of the world, but it is leading to conditions worrying the healthcare professionals. For example, the cases confirmed through laboratory tests indicate that there were 834 cases by June 14the, 2014. Out of these cases, there were 288 deaths (Jaffar & Ziad, 2014). It suggests that the disease is threatening the health of people. The number of deaths will increase every year if the problem is not addressed and this is because more people will be prone to risk factors. Statistics show that infections are increasing annually suggesting that more deaths will occur health professionals do not take necessary interventions.

Solutions to the Problem

There are various solutions to the problem. The first one is the animal approach, and this is the partnership approach that involves different stakeholders. It includes working with public health specialists including animal and human specialists to work together to educate the public about the courses of transmission and how they can avoid incidences at increase their risks (Javad, Iraj, Behnam, Jamal, Mohammad, Kazhal & Sima, 2018). For example, the World Health Organization should work with experts from different countries and develop standard measures people should follow to avoid catching the infection from animals. It is because human-animal contact is the primary source of transmission. Therefore, managing animal transmission is the most significant milestone since people do not have adequate knowledge about the infection and they end up infected without being aware.

The second possible solution to address the problem is by taking the health campaigns to the healthcare facilities. Therefore, the healthcare settings should take necessary measures to ensure the service providers do not contract the infection unknowingly (Shauna, Kerri & Vincent, 2014). They should put in place effective control measures to ensure the virus does not transmit in the hospitals and other healthcare centers. For example, healthcare professionals should wear protecting clothing to avoid direct contact with the clients as this increases the chances of transmitting the infection. Also, there must be regular screening to ensure patients suffering from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome are isolated and given special treatment to avoid further transmission.

It is worth to understand that there is no developed and scientifically proven treatment to the disease. With the recent incidences of new infections, the healthcare professionals are concerned with research and development aiming to develop vaccines that prevent the spread of the disease (Shauna et al. 2014). Examples include vaccines which are based on viral vector that help to neutralize the antibodies. However, it is challenging to develop standards vaccines because they are likely to induce the immune system. The World Health Organization should work with research centers to develop vaccines for immunization in areas where an outbreak is.

The last solution to the problem is putting travel restrictions to and from outbreak areas. The preference destination for the disease is Middle East. Therefore, traveling restrictions could help to manage the spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome because people will be screened to ensure they do not transmit the disease (Shauna et al. 2014). However, this can be achieved through effective public awareness and ensure people understand the purpose of the restriction and it is not mean to violate their gifts. As a result, it requires a collaborative approach.

Conclusion

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome was identified in 2012, and since then it has spread from the Middle East to other countries. The preference is high in men than female because of its complexity and nature of the outbreak. The effects of the disease cause a health concern because it triggers other infections and illness which eventually lead to death if not manage...