A patient in Rawalpindi, who was initially thought to have contracted the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), was ultimately diagnosed with a viral infection instead, as confirmed by Dr. Tahir Rizvi, Medical Superintendent of Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH).
The patient, Muhammad Ameen, a 55-year-old from Kharian, had returned from a Middle Eastern country just a month before his hospitalization.
MERS-CoV, which differs from COVID-19, is a viral respiratory illness first identified in 2012 and has been reported in 27 countries. Dr. Rizvi noted that tests did not detect MERS-CoV in Ameen, who has since recovered and been discharged after testing negative.
Initially, concerns about Ameen’s health prompted testing for the virus on at least 40 family members. He was admitted to BBH on September 5, where he spent several days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) under isolation.
Although the mortality rate for MERS-CoV is around 36%, this figure may be skewed due to underreported mild cases. Symptoms of the virus include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, with severe cases leading to respiratory distress, particularly in those with pre-existing health conditions like diabetes or chronic lung disease.
Diagnosis typically involves laboratory testing of respiratory samples, but early detection can be challenging because the symptoms are nonspecific and similar to those of other respiratory infections. Human-to-human transmission is often linked to delays in recognizing symptoms and implementing isolation measures, highlighting the need for prompt responses to suspected cases.
