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After the current pandemic is over, the German chief virologist at the Berlin Charité wants to dedicate himself to researching other viruses: Christian Drosten (48) warns of the risk of Mers viruses. This strain of virus has the potential to become the “next candidate for a pandemic.”
Sars-CoV-2, the coronavirus that triggered the current pandemic, is getting enough research attention: “Anything you do is done by someone.” Therefore, he wanted to develop a new topic with a small working group, he told the German business portal Capital.
The so-called Mers-CoV can cause fatal respiratory infections. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies Mers as a “Priority Disease”. A “Priority Disease” is a disease whose drug research and development should be given the highest priority.
Especially in Saudi Arabia
Mers is commonly used to describe the Middle East respiratory syndrome, which belongs to the group of coronaviruses. As the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) notes, Mers-CoV describes an upper respiratory tract infection that was first detected in April 2012 on the Arabian Peninsula. Since then, the virus has spread mainly in Saudi Arabia.
As of September 2020, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) had more than 2,500 laboratory-confirmed cases in 27 countries, including more than 800 deaths. The largest increase in infections to date was recorded in 2014 with more than 750 cases of Mers. In the current year there have been 61 cases so far, all in the Arabian Peninsula.
Does it come from the dromedary?
As with the current coronavirus, Mers-CoV is a zoonotic pathogen, a virus that can be transmitted from animals to humans. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dromedaries are the most likely source of infection. The incubation period for Mers infection is usually one to two weeks.
In healthy people, Mers disease is often asymptomatic or with mild flu-like symptoms, explains the WHO. Symptoms resemble Sars-CoV-2 infection with fever, cough, shortness of breath, and sometimes diarrhea. In severe Mers disease, pneumonia can also develop, which can develop into an acute respiratory distress syndrome.
The chemical industry is also expected to expand. In any case, several companies are currently working hard on the development of a vaccine. (gf)
