Laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Malaysia: preparedness and response, April 2014

• Published in: Euro surveillance : bulletin européen sur les maladies transmissibles Vol. 19; no. 18; p. 1
• Main Authors: Premila Devi, J, Noraini, W, Norhayati, R, Chee Kheong, C, Badrul, A S, Zainah, S, Fadzilah, K, Hirman, I, Lokman Hakim, S, Noor Hisham, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sweden Centre Europeen pour la Surveillance Epidemiologique du SIDA (European Centre for the Epidemiological Monitoring of AIDS) 08.05.2014
• Subjects: Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; Communicable Disease Control; Contact Tracing; Coronavirus - genetics; Coronavirus - isolation & purification; Coronavirus Infections - diagnosis; Coronavirus Infections - drug therapy; Coronavirus Infections - virology; Disease Notification; Fatal Outcome; Humans; Infectious diseases; Malaysia; Middle Aged; Middle East respiratory syndrome; Oseltamivir - therapeutic use; Pneumonia; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Population Surveillance; Respiratory Tract Infections - diagnosis; Respiratory Tract Infections - drug therapy; Respiratory Tract Infections - virology; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Saudi Arabia; Surveillance; Syndrome; Travel; Viruses; Saudi Arabia; Malaysia
• ISSN: 1560-7917; 1025-496X; 1560-7917
• DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES2014.19.18.20797

On 14 April 2014, the first laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection was reported in Malaysia in a man in his mid-fifties, who developed pneumonia with respiratory distress, after returning from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The case succumbed to his illness three days after admission at a local hospital. The follow-up of 199 close contacts identified through contact tracing and vigilant surveillance did not result in detecting any other confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection.