Confusing Information from Italy about the number of MERS-CoV Cases




Yesterday, the media from Italy reported that an additional 10 to 12 individuals were infected with the MERS-CoV, but the individuals were asymptomatic. These individuals reportedly included doctors and nurses. Today, a second round of testing on eight of these individuals produced negative results [1].  Based on the number of confirmed cases to date, MERS-CoV is a deadly disease. The presence or absence of asymptomatic or mild cases of MERS-CoV is an important component in understanding how this disease spreads. Hopefully, the confusion over the number of infected individuals and the MERS-CoV testing results will be cleared up soon by public health officials in Italy.

[1] http://firenze.repubblica.it/cronaca/2013/06/04/news/nuova_sars_esami_negativi_resta_soltanto_tre_i_casi-60353834/  h/t Giuseppe

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