Thoughts Out Of Season

The Hajj has ended and now millions of observant Muslims will return to their homes all around the world after making the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Of concern right now is the possibility that some may have contracted the ultra-deadly MERS-CoV virus which has been striking down people within Saudi Arabia since 2012. This disease is new on the medical horizon, never before seen in humans much like the SARS virus that rampaged through China a decade ago infecting over 8000 people killing over 700. MERS-CoV presents even more of a concerning picture due the facts that it's mortality rate is 3-4 times that of SARS and that the incubation period, the time between becoming infected and showing symptoms, could be as long as 2 weeks. This constitutes a serious problem, especially as it concerns the Hajj in that those that are infected could return to their countries and appear perfectly normal thus escaping detection by border personnel on the lookout for anyone exhibiti...

As all eyes have been concentrated on the Avian Flu Virus H7N9 along comes another virus, Coronavirus that has burst onto the scene. Arising in the Middle East it has now spread to Europe. It is highly deadly so far killing 50 percent of those infected. It attacks the respiratory system with a viciousness that leads to other organ failure such as the kidneys. Unlike H7N9 which many believe is transmitted directly from animals there have been confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission such as a patient in North London who came down with the virus while visiting the Middle East and transmitted it to another patient sharing his room while being treated in London. This is a virus that is related to the infamous SARS virus that infected more than 8000 people and killed 800 several years ago in China. This virus is believed to have originated in bats and has somehow crossed over and mutated into a state where it is able to infect humans. It is similar to the H7N9 virus in that it has not...