UAE well-prepared for Sars-like virus after outbreak in Gulf

The UAE is well prepared to deal with outbreaks of deadly viruses, experts said, after further cases of a new, Sars-like virus were reported in the region and the death toll rose to two.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a warning on Friday over a type of coronavirus that was unknown in humans before two cases were identified in late September.
One was in Saudi Arabia, where the victim died, and the other in Qatar.
The latest outbreak has affected another four people.
One of the new cases was in Qatar and the other three were in Saudi Arabia, where one of the patients died. WHO said two of the latest Saudi cases were in the same family.
The UAE does not need to go beyond the basic precautionary measures already in place, said Dr Mansour Al Zarouni, a consultant medical and molecular microbiologist, and the head of pathology and laboratory medicine for Sharjah Medical District.
"We should be aware of this but, at the same time, be inactive," Dr Al Zarouni said. "If anything is going to happen it's going to happen now ... there is nothing to be done except very basic precautions that we take anyway."
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that range from those that cause the common cold to more severe strains such as severe acute respiratory syndrome, or Sars, said Dr Fatma Al Attar, head of preventive services at Dubai Health Authority.
As in September, when the first cases emerged, the authority is working with the Ministry of Health and following instructions from WHO and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Al Mattar said.
While no cases have been reported in the UAE, hospitals have policies in place to deal with outbreaks, said Dr Mohamed Hamad, the infection-control chief at Lifeline Hospital, in Abu Dhabi.
"We have our own plan, which is based on the instruction of the Health Authority Abu Dhabi," he said.
"They have instructed us to create a policy on this, in general."
There are several methods by which authorities can determine whether there is an outbreak, and how extensive it is, Dr Hamad said.
"If two or more cases are found, the authorities will begin to investigate whether or not it can be classed as an outbreak," he said.
"They [the cases] will be isolated and treated accordingly.
"They will then go for further investigation to know what type of influenza has been found and whether it is coronavirus or not."
Investigations into the source of the Saudi and Qatar cases and how the infections spread are continuing, WHO said.
zalhassani@thenational.ae