Expert Advisory: Expert available to discuss MERS crisis in South Korea
HAMILTON, June 12, 2015: Brian Lichty of the McMaster Immunology Research Centre is available to discuss Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which forced the closure of two hospitals at the centre of an outbreak in South Korea.
Lichty, an associate professor of pathology and molecular medicine, says MERS is not transmitted as easily as some other respiratory illnesses, but prolonged close contact in crowded South Korean hospitals is likely a factor in the outbreak there.
Another issue, he says, is that the initial symptoms of MERS are similar to many milder respiratory illnesses, and it is only later, when more serious symptoms appear, that MERS transmission becomes apparent, potentially after patients have exposed others to the virus.
Since there is no vaccine and no treatment for MERS, Lichty says, it is vital to contain its spread.
Those who live or travel in the region need to be especially vigilant for any symptoms of the SARL-like virus, he says.
Brian Lichty is available for interviews today and can be reached at lichtyb@mcmaster.ca.
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Wade Hemsworth
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