Comparative Analysis of Eleven Healthcare-Associated Outbreaks of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (Mers-Cov) from 2015 to 2017

Bernard-Stoecklin, Sibylle; Nikolay, Birgit; Assiri, Abdullah; Bin Saeed, Abdul Aziz; Ben Embarek, Peter Karim; El Bushra, Hassan; Ki, Moran; Malik, Mamunur Rahman; Fontanet, Arnaud; Cauchemez, Simon; Van Kerkhove, Maria D.

The sharing of outbreak experiences between affected hospitals within and between countries and a detailed evaluation of the impact of non-therapeutic interventions is critical to our understanding and for the prevention of nosocomial outbreaks of respiratory pathogens. Health care professionals and hospitals currently have tools to limit the extent and impact of such events, which include early identification and isolation of suspect patients and strict adherence to standard infection prevention and control measures. These are the hallmark of effective MERS-CoV control. A combination of interventions including the efficient triage of patients with respiratory symptoms at hospital entry; limiting wait times and overcrowding in waiting areas; isolation of suspected and confirmed cases; appropriate use of droplet personal protection equipment by HCP; basic hand hygiene; increased protective aerosol precautions for HCP during aerosol-generating medical procedures; efficient surface and environmental decontamination of areas with MERS patients, and extensive contact tracing, can prevent human to human transmission in health care settings.