Zika virus: no cases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region but concerns remain

Following the WHO declaration on 1 February 2016 of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern [PHEIC] with regard to clusters of microcephaly and neurological disorders potentially associated with Zika virus, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean conducted three rounds of emergency meetings to address enhancing preparedness actions in the Region. The meetings provided up-to-date information on the current situation and agreed on a set of actions for the countries to undertake to enhance their preparedness and response capacities to Zika virus infection and its complications. The most urgent action is to enhance both epidemiological and entomological surveillance between now and the coming rainy seasons in countries with known presence of Aedes mosquitoes. Zika virus like other vector-borne diseases poses a particular challenge to the countries because of their complex nature which requires multidisciplinary competencies and strong rapid interaction among committed sectors. WHO is working closely with partners and countries to ensure the optimum support is provided to the countries to reduce the risk of this newly emerged health threat

Burden of acute respiratory disease of epidemic and pandemic potential in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region: a literature review

There are gaps in the knowledge about the burden of severe respiratory disease in the Eastern Mediterranean Region [EMR]. This literature review was therefore conducted to describe the burden of epidemic- and pandemic-prone acute respiratory infections [ARI] in the Region which may help in the development of evidence-based disease prevention and control policies. Relevant published and unpublished reports were identified from searches of various databases; 83 documents fulfilled the search criteria. The infections identified included: ARI, avian influenza A[H5N1], influenza A[H1N1]pdm09 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus [MERS-CoV] infection. Pneumonia and ARIs were leading causes of disease and death in the Region. Influenza A[H1N1] was an important cause of morbidity during the 2009 pandemic. This review provides a descriptive summary of the burden of acute respiratory diseases in the Region, but there still remains a lack of necessary data

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus: current knowledge and future considerations

A literature review of publically available information was undertaken to summarize current understanding and gaps in knowledge about Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus [MERS-CoV], including its origin, transmission, effective control measures and management. Major databases were searched and relevant published papers and reports during 2012-2015 were reviewed. Of the 2520 publications initially retrieved, 164 were deemed relevant. The collected results suggest that much remains to be discovered about MERS-CoV. Improved surveillance, epidemiological research and development of new therapies and vaccines are important, and the momentum of recent gains in terms of better understanding of disease patterns should be maintained to enable the global community to answer the remaining questions about this disease