In the spring of 2012, a Saudi Arabian man developed symptoms resembling severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. However, it wasn’t caused by the SARS coronavirus.
Instead it was identified as a new coronavirus named the Middle East Respiratory syndrome or MERS coronavirus. Globally, 2080 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV including at least 722 related deaths have been reported to WHO.
Director of CIDRAP at the University of Minnesota and author of the book, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, Michael Osterholm, PhD joined me to talk about the threat of MERS on a larger scale and what can be done to prevent it.
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Other podcasts with Dr Osterholm:
- Dr. Mike Osterholm discusses infectious diseases and his new book ‘Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs’
- H7N9 avian influenza in China: Should we be worried?
- Houston floods: What are the infectious disease risks?
Related:
- Saudi Arabia, the Hajj and the challenges in the prevention and control of infectious diseases
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and the importance of timely treatment with doxycycline
- Brucella RB51, pasteurization and the risks of consuming raw milk
- Bacteriophage therapy: A remarkable story
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