Frequent travel is part of a travel nurse‘s job and that often means spending time flying between different airports. So, it’s important that you are up-to-date on information concerning the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a viral respiratory illness that has captured headlines this past month.
The disease was first identified in Saudi Arabia, and camels have been identified as one source of the infection in humans. MERS is contagious and potentially lethal, though it has been largely confined to the Middle East so far. As of June 4, there have 681 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS, all of which were connected to countries in the Arabian Peninsula.
To date, 22 airports in the U.S. have posted travel warnings about the disease.
Importantly, one-fifth of all MERS cases have occurred among health care workers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Travel nurses should be sure to exercise caution in airports, keep hands clean and wash hands after seeing patients.
What to know
With that being said, the risk of contracting the virus is low. There have been only two confirmed cases of MERS in the U.S. Both involved health care workers who are believed to have been infected in Saudi Arabia before coming to the U.S.
U.S. officials noted that MERS does not pose a major threat to the American public because the virus is only passed through close contact.
So far, 204 people have died of MERS. The illness kills about 25 percent of the people who contract it, according to the CDC.
The beginning of MERS
The virus first surfaced in 2012 in the Middle East. Yet it wasn’t until recently that scientists learned that camels were the source of the illness – although the original source remains unknown. Last November, a 44-year-old Saudi man was admitted to King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with what turned out to be MERS.
Before the man became ill, he was in close contact with his nine camels. Tests of the man and one of his camels were positive for MERS. Genetic testing verified that both the patient and camel had identical strains of the virus. The man had also infected his daughter, whose symptoms disappeared after three days without complications. The patient himself died of his illness.
MERS symptoms
The symptoms of MERS generally include:
- fever
- shortness of breath
- coughing
Currently there is no vaccine to prevent MERS infection.
Prevention
The CDC advises that travelers, including those on travel nurse assignments who are taking trips between destinations for work or vacation, should be sure to wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid personal contact, such as kissing or sharing cups or eating utensils, with sick people. To keep your office or workspace clean, disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as a doorknobs.