MERS in Jeddah

DONT COME HERE, BETTER FOR U

Well, one good thing is the kids won't go back to school till September.  Hopefully the problem would have been brought under control by then.  They have already made leads in developing a vaccine in the US.

I would say come.  The mortality rate is high, true, but the transmission rate is nothing compared to SARS.  Remember, just 400 infections reported in 1.5 years.

Take precautions (sneezing and hand-washing technique), and don't go to enclosed crowded places, especially in the poorer parts of the city.

I agree with Trape in full

arm5263 wrote:

Hi all,
I am in the process of relocating to JEddah from US and this MERS thingie is making me nervous. I have three young kids under the age of 8 joining me. Should I be concerned? The mortality rate of 30% is quite high...
How is expat community taking this? any concerns about it? Should I reconsider my relocation? or postpone it and see how it goes? I have a familiarization trip with family coming up in a week....need to decide now whether to go or not

I would have wanted to explain in detail about the MER-Cov but since not much is known about the virus so nothing can be said,i would however recommend to Traps post,but quite to be honest and not inflict fear in anyone.The virus is currently mysterious to health workers and its modes of transmissions is highly speculated and just by typing "Mers" in google search bar ,isnt going to help or prevent infection.And since this virus outbreak was first recorded in spring of 2012,so it is still unknown on how it started or when and also,how it would affect the patients in other seasons ,though high cases have been recorded in recent months, so the virus has be virulent but the 30% of mortality that you mentioned is mostly seen in patients who were more susceptible because their immune system was very weak or compromised , like patients with chronic illness.So if you want to travel to KSA with toddlers ,then please do extensive research on it ,but from a reliable source like CDC or WHO  and if anyone of your family members have any chronic illness or currently immunologically weak, then please reconsider.

arm5263 wrote:

Hi all,
I am in the process of relocating to JEddah from US and this MERS thingie is making me nervous. I have three young kids under the age of 8 joining me. Should I be concerned? The mortality rate of 30% is quite high...
How is expat community taking this? any concerns about it? Should I reconsider my relocation? or postpone it and see how it goes? I have a familiarization trip with family coming up in a week....need to decide now whether to go or not

I agree with Trapezius and Djzubaid. But I'll say do whatever you think is good for your family and just be vigilant with the situation. We all live under one sun, breathing the same air, risk is everywhere no matter where we are. It's just a matter of helping our body overcome whatever threat it may face.

The majority of affected patients were adults with underlying medical comorbidities. Though health officials thought infection is restricted to them, severe disease can occur in children with underlying conditions. Just keep your family healthy, continue to give them vitamins & minerals supplements and encourage them to eat healthy foods. A visit to your doctor will help identify any risk factors. My dad tells me to reconsider my plans on going back to KSA, but I told him it's my job to kick some virus' butt , im ready to face them with full armor.

Agreed with Djz and lina about increased susceptibility for the elderly, for those who have chronic illnesses, and for those with weak immune systems.  Also those with recurring respiratory problems or flus and colds.

Keep that in mind.

Based on your timing it seems like you will be here soon, but your family wouldn't be here until around August due to the length of time it takes to get anything done here.

As a US citizen here I think you will be okay. Just practice basic hygiene with extra hand washing and stay away from hospitals as much as possible.

My husband's coworkers said there was a small outbreak of MERS last spring as well and that it kinda died off around June. Hopefully the pattern continues this year and everything will be okay again. & that the steps to make a vaccine will continue so an outbreak like this year does not happen again.

Am I leaving for the summer, yes but that is to get away from the heat & I want to drive again. I still send my oldest to school.

It is all about being smart. I taught through swine flu in the southwest with mexican immigrants with no issue as long as I did basic hygiene.

Don't freak out just don't send for your family till the fall.

i agree with everything you guys said..... but let me play the role of the devil's advocate here, if I may,

coz if I were a dad, I am not sure if it is worth to risk my young family being exposed to an unfamiliar illness with no known effective treatment.. except let's hope and pray your immune system can handle this.... I mean, i cannot say that to my 3 kids, not even to my wife.

if its really important, perhaps I would go alone while they figure out this tiny outbreak, and when I come back, I'd do self-quarantine just to be super sure that I don't serve as a carrier..

im sure, 400 cases in 2 years is not much..... but how'd you guys feel, if you were in that    "400 affected and only 111 died".

i guess nobody wants to be included in this statistics and have other people say, its just less than 400 people.....

let me play the role of the devil's advocate here

Well played!

In my opinion, I'd definitely reconsider. They still don't have a cure for the virus. Also, Jeddah especially has tons of people coming all over the world but people that come from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh and a lot of them aren't very clean. Pilgrimage time is a notorious time for people to catch the flu.
Not to mention, the govt is trying to downplay this virus. I wouldn't be surprised if the mortality rate is much higher than what they show on the news for fear of panic and unrest.

You can go to Arab News or Saudi Gazette to check any updates but like I said, they are mostly downplaying it.

Athena0 wrote:

In my opinion, I'd definitely reconsider. They still don't have a cure for the virus. Also, Jeddah especially has tons of people coming all over the world but people that come from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh and a lot of them aren't very clean. Pilgrimage time is a notorious time for people to catch the flu.
Not to mention, the govt is trying to downplay this virus. I wouldn't be surprised if the mortality rate is much higher than what they show on the news for fear of panic and unrest.

You can go to Arab News or Saudi Gazette to check any updates but like I said, they are mostly downplaying it.

Do you even realize what are you saying or at least typing ?What do you mean downplaying it,the MOH is working 24/7 on this,seriously poor choice of words you got there.I am starting to believe you are some kind of troll in the making and if you mean to control mass public by regulating the press then no because this virus has gone out the hands and CDC have stepped in to help.
If this is your true opinion then please care to elaborate,otherwise please leave this thread ,this not funny in any way.

Do you even know what downplaying it means? I never said they were 'sitting on their hands' doing nothing. It surely does not mean that they aren't ' working 24/7' as you said. It is not unusual for a govt to 'downplay' a bad situation. Like what happened in Japan with the nuclear plants a few years back. For a while, they were trying to 'downplay' the situation. This isn't a personal attack. It is generally the status quo for any gvt to do this. Anyway. If you dont agree with my opinion, you can simply disagree. there's no need to go 'all up in arms' and start accusing me of being a troll etc etc. GOODBYE!

For your reference:

down·play (verb)
verb
make (something) appear less important than it really is.
"this report downplays the seriousness of global warming"

Athena0 wrote:

Do you even know what downplaying it means? I never said they were 'sitting on their hands' doing nothing. It surely does not mean that they aren't ' working 24/7' as you said. It is not unusual for a govt to 'downplay' a bad situation. Like what happened in Japan with the nuclear plants a few years back. For a while, they were trying to 'downplay' the situation. This isn't a personal attack. It is generally the status quo for any gvt to do this. Anyway. If you dont agree with my opinion, you can simply disagree. there's no need to go 'all up in arms' and start accusing me of being a troll etc etc. GOODBYE!

Well first of all you insult more then half of the population of this country by saying most of them are unclean ,which by all means i am clearly not offended by it.And coming down to troll part..well the thing is that there are many users who come to this site like they are strolling in a park and dropoff some weird post ,that are clearly  and nothing to do with the original thread,Neither have i wanted to accused you to be a troll but lets get the facts straight the morality is not different and i am personally doing the research on this Virus,anyways being that said and you confirming not being a troll .  Welcome to Expat-Blog

Athena0 wrote:

down·play (verb)
verb
make (something) appear less important than it really is.
"this report downplays the seriousness of global warming"

Seriously,

Athena0 wrote:

Also, Jeddah especially has tons of people coming all over the world but people that come from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh and a lot of them aren't very clean.

@Athena, your remarks could brought up rage among expats from the countries you've mentioned. Anyone is at risk to get infected, but the practice of good hygiene is not determined by nationality, you dont have to generalized it. Though you could be right about the downplaying to avoid panic, the racist remark is not cool at all.

lina0574 wrote:

@Athena, your remarks could brought up rage among expats from the countries you've mentioned. Anyone is at risk to get infected, but the practice of good hygiene is not determined by nationality, you dont have to generalized it. Though you could be right about the downplaying to avoid panic, the racist remark is not cool at all.

Ya like i said poor choice of words ,though i am not offended but cant say much about the others.

lina0574 wrote:

Athena0 wrote:

Also, Jeddah especially has tons of people coming all over the world but people that come from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh and a lot of them aren't very clean.

@Athena, your remarks could brought up rage among expats from the countries you've mentioned. Anyone is at risk to get infected, but the practice of good hygiene is not determined by nationality, you don't have to generalized it. Though you could be right about the downplaying to avoid panic, the racist remark is not cool at all.

Hi Lina, Thanks and you're right! I should have omitted giving examples of countries where people come from for umrah and hajj. It does come off as racist and for that I sincerely apologize. The point was that people come from all over the world and some of them are sick with the flu, cold, etc and being in such close proximity to people, it does become 'flu season'.
And yes, anyone is def at risk of getting infected because we live in a globalized world, as we've already seen a man that flew from Sau to the US, is hospitalized in an Indiana hospital due to MERS.   Surely, no country wants an atmosphere of panic and unrest. I remember reading within days of the outbreak that the gvt flew in a member of "WHO" 'World Health Org" from Canada to assess the situation.

nice that you were able to smooth things out in the end..... at least before this thread reached 2 pages... 

so, back to the question, do you let the guy bring his family here? 

Athena0 wrote:

Hi Lina, Thanks and you're right! I should have omitted giving examples of countries where people come from for umrah and hajj. It does come off as racist and for that I sincerely apologize. The point was that people come from all over the world and some of them are sick with the flu, cold, etc and being in such close proximity to people, it does become 'flu season'.
And yes, anyone is def at risk of getting infected because we live in a globalized world, as we've already seen a man that flew from Sau to the US, is hospitalized in an Indiana hospital due to MERS.   Surely, no country wants an atmosphere of panic and unrest. I remember reading within days of the outbreak that the gvt flew in a member of "WHO" 'World Health Org" from Canada to assess the situation.

I understand where are you coming from, I was in Jeddah during the 1st reported case of MERS.  I did Hajj in 2012 and performed Umrah a number of times till my final exit last sept 2013. And alhamdulillah I never got sick though I wasnt even wearing any mask during the pilgrimage (which I dont recommend, it's better to wear one than be sorry in the end). The point is this viral infection will definitely NOT prevent me from going back to KSA.

Trapezius wrote:

let me play the role of the devil's advocate here

Well played!

  Thanks for the support Trap!

so arm5263, better dose up on your vitamin C and get you busy ass out here, and make sure you come back to your family as soon and as healthy as you are now...

welcome to jeddah! 

hahahahaha

Well what are YOUR thoughts on that? 

lina0574 wrote:

The point is this viral infection will not prevent me from going back to KSA.

That's your own personal choice and I totally respect that. For me, if I had children, I wouldn't risk it. I'd wait until the virus thing dies down and then for sure I'd come.

Wow..Did not expect soooo many responses...I fee like I have caused a tsunami on this board 
Thanks guys for all your feedback. I respect all the opinions...I have personally been keeping a close eye on this MERS thingie for the last couple of weeks. Last weekend alone, they had 33 new cases in two days..the highest so far in any two days period. From the statistics, it looks like the virus is spreading fast...and there is no decline in the trend at least for now..This is what makes me nervous..With a young family of kids, I do not want to take this risk at this point..I have therefore postponed my familiarization trip for a month. I'll reassess the situation then.
I do believe(personally) that government is not very honest in reporting all the cases and the severity of the situation for the reasons mentioned before. Yes, they are doing there best but in the meantime they are probably not passing on all the information. This has been mentioned by WHO as well. I hope that the situation improves inshallah and this virus goes away for good! I am just playing safe for now....I can wait...not in a hurry

good for you.....

Definitely if the company lets you there is no harm in postponing. At this point I am just hoping for no travel restrictions. I will gladly spend some of my 4 hour layover time in New York with customs poking and prodding just so I can be back in the states this summer.

Arm5263 definitely register with the US Consulate now. They will send you emails when there are advisories they think US citizens coming to the area or living in the area need. They also send out a monthly news letter. Now the actual consulate in Jeddah sucks, but this service is nice.

a few off topic messages were removed from this thread ...

Not being an expert on any of that... I must say driving here is a bigger health hazard!!
God Damn Saudis drive crazy! no appreciation for the physics involved

SandmanEd wrote:

Not being an expert on any of that... I must say driving here is a bigger health hazard!!
God Damn Saudis drive crazy! no appreciation for the physics involved

Now that's 

Maybe, but if your talking about health hazards in Saudi Arabia.. you really otta be worried about that... there are more people killed in traffic accidents here than people dying of violence in Iraq... look it up

MERS is insignificant in comparison

Feel free to delete it... I was quoting a medical professor from Dammam University.. discussing MERS with his students
Sorry just had a bad morning driving to work

SandmanEd wrote:

Maybe, but if your talking about health hazards in Saudi Arabia.. you really otta be worried about that... there are more people killed in traffic accidents here than people dying of violence in Iraq... look it up

MERS is insignificant in comparison

Feel free to delete it... I was quoting a medical professor from Dammam University.. discussing MERS with his students
Sorry just had a bad morning driving to work

newsflash:... CDC will step in (or help, as they'd put it)... i also read in the news, they brought out some articles wherein they focused on the recovery of some individuals... another article blames the media for blowing this thing out of proportion....

but im not letting my guard down against this MERS, like what I said in my earlier post ,.... i dont want to be a part of the statistics to whom nobody cares....

as for the driving skills of many saudis, you are free to diss them in other threads, it is a perennial topic here... just check the older posts...

I've lived in Jeddah for many years.  I would advise people to delay visiting Jeddah until this outbreak is over.  I, myself, would like to have my daughter, her husband, and her one year old infant whom I haven't yet met in person come to visit ASAP, but feel now that it's better to wait until this is over.  This includes, I'm sorry to say, Hajj and Umrah.  I hope Saudi gov't will have the sense to limit Hajj and Umrah visas this year.

We are also due to leave for Saudi by the end of May (Husband ) and myself and daughter in June... getting anxious now

use face mask, cologne, antiseptic solutions and keep clean your hands. dont shake hands

excuse my ignorance but how does cologne help stop infection?

Well it has been found that cologne might be helpful to prevent or atleast supposely cure the MERs virus ,here is a link:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/world- … -le,32899/
but since this is a year old post,i wont bother much about this because clearly no would walk around drinking,injecting this BS to prevent MERs,but anyhow you asked so i answered.But other than that look all the above posts you would find enough information to survive even the MERs apocalypse.

The Onion is a spoof news website! 

Have a look at this article: http://www.theonion.com/articles/paleon … r-st,36043

Lol
I read the cologne article and my response 'seriously??!!!' made me laugh but not as much as the dinosaur sticker one

Trapezius wrote:

The Onion is a spoof news website! 

Have a look at this article: http://www.theonion.com/articles/paleon … r-st,36043

LOL, i knew something was fishy ,about it but it was a funny article so i anyhow posted it,