Saudi Arabia

Measles risk for passengers on Abu Dhabi-Toronto flight

Public health officials in suburban Toronto are warning that passengers on a flight from Abu Dhabi to Toronto’s Pearson airport may be at risk of being infected with measles.

Officials with Peel Public Health says they’re sounding the warning about the Etihad Airways flight 141 on March 25 after they discovered a baby who has tested positive for the disease was aboard.

That infant has already sparked public notices about possible exposure sites at a Brampton multicultural community centre (at 150 Central Parkway), three health clinics and the Brampton Civic Hospital emergency ward.

Health officials say they’re working with the Public Health Agency of Canada to identify passengers on the flight who may need a direct follow-up.

They say anyone aboard who have not had two doses of the measles vaccine or had the disease previously should watch for symptoms up until April 15.

Anyone showing symptoms are advised to call their doctor before visiting a clinic or hospital.

Source: CBC news

Saudi Reports 4 New Cases Of MERS Virus, 1 Fatal

The new infections bring the worldwide total of confirmed cases to 170 with 72 deaths, the WHO said.

Four more people in Saudi Arabia have been infected with the SARS-like Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus and one of them – an elderly man – has died, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.

The new infections, including in two health workers from Riyadh who have not reported any adverse symptoms, bring the worldwide total of confirmed cases of the respiratory disease to 170 with 72 deaths, the United Nations health agency said.

MERS first emerged in the Middle East in September 2012 and is from the same family as the SARS virus, can cause coughing, fever and pneumonia.

Cases have been reported in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Tunisia as well as in several countries in Europe, and scientists are increasingly focused on a link between the human infections and camels as a possible “animal reservoir” of the virus.

In Friday’s update, the WHO said the latest MERS death – a 73 year-old man from Riyadh – had reported having contact with animals but had no travel history outside the Riyadh region.

The fourth case, in a 53-year-old man from Riyadh, was after contact with a previously confirmed MERS case. He was hospitalised on November 26 and is currently receiving treatment in an intensive care unit, it said.

Dutch and Qatari scientists published research earlier this month that proved for the first time that MERS can also infect camels – strengthening suspicions that these animals, often used in the region for meat, milk, transport and racing, may be a source of the human outbreak.

The WHO said people at high risk of severe disease due to MERS should “avoid close contact with animals when visiting farms or barn areas where the virus is known to be potentially circulating”.

For the general public it advised normal hygiene steps such as hand washing before and after touching animals, avoiding contact with sick animals and good food hygiene practices.

Source: Gulf Business

Hundred thousand genomes to be mapped in Saudi Arabia

Up to 100,000 people in Saudi Arabia are to have their genetic codes mapped in a new human genome project.

The research will look at genes linked with diseases, and pave the way for prenatal and premarital screening.

The project, funded by the Saudi Arabian national science agency, will create a DNA database to develop personalised medicine.

A similar UK scheme is under way to map the genomes of 100,000 NHS patients.

Genome studies are moving from analysing the personal DNA code of individuals for research purposes, to clinical applications, such as treatments tailored to the genetic makeup of cancers.

The Saudi effort will focus on sequencing 100,000 human genomes over the next five years to study both normal genes and those linked to disease.

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology president Dr Mohammed Bin Ibrahim Al Suwayl said: “We have clear strategy and policy of the importance of science to a knowledge-based society and we believe the Saudi human genome programme will help shape the understanding of health and disease and usher in an era of personalised medicine in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and we are grateful for the investment and vision of the Saudi leadership.”

The research will take place at 10 genome centres across Saudi Arabia, with another five genome centres to be created in coming years.

UK genome expert Dr Ewan Birney, said while big genetic differences between Middle Eastern populations and populations outside the Middle East were unlikely, there may be a slightly different spectrum of genetic diseases in Saudi Arabia.

Commenting on the announcement of the project, Dr Birney, associate director at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory – European Bioinformatics Institute, said: “I’m excited that Saudi Arabia is taking a substantial step forward in sequencing genomes in their clinical healthcare.

“I hope to see broader engagement between Western countries and Middle Eastern countries in this area, and data sharing and expertise sharing in both directions.”

A number of genome sequencing efforts are under way around the world. They include the 1,000 genomes project, an international research effort to look at human genetic variation.

The UK is to map the genomes of up to 100,000 NHS patients with cancer and rare diseases by 2017 in a £100m effort funded by the government.

Source: BBC