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The MERS coronavirus has caused disease outbreaks across the Arabian Peninsula and spread to Europe several times. The severe pneumonia virus has claimed the lives of several hundred people since its discovery in 2012. For a long time, scientists have been puzzled over how easily the pathogen spreads from human to human. An international team of researchers led by virologists from the University of Bonn have now come to the conclusion, through direct observation, that the rate of human transmission is low. Still, a third of infected persons with symptoms die. The results are now being presented in the renowned New England Journal of Medicine.

From a disease-transmission perspective, medical waste is one important topic that should be within the purview of the infection preventionist. It is well understood that the unsafe disposal of medical waste such as contaminated syringes poses public health risks. Contaminated needles and syringes represent a particular threat, as the failure to dispose of them safely may lead to dangerous recycling and repackaging which lead to unsafe reuse. Contaminated injection equipment may be scavenged from waste areas and dumpsites and either be reused or sold to be used again. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that, in 2000, contaminated injections with contaminated syringes caused 21 million hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections (32 percent of all new infections); 2 million hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections (40 percent of all new infections); and at least 260 000 HIV infections (5 percent of all new infections). In 2002, the results of a WHO assessment conducted in 22 developing countries showed that the proportion of healthcare facilities that do not use proper waste disposal methods ranges from 18 percent to 64 percent.