Update | China, US team up to develop cure for Mers virus as South Korea reports 19th death
An antibiotic is in the works and has already proven effective on animals, mainland official says
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Fudan University and the United States’ National Institute of Health are jointly developing a Mers antibiotic, as South Korea on Monday reported its 19th death in the outbreak that has badly affected its tourism industry.
More than 100,000 travellers have stayed away from South Korea because of the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome. The country was expected to lose US$2.3 billion in tourism if the situation did not improve, a South Korean official said.
Guangdong’s Mers response team leader Zhong Nanshan said the antibiotic that Fudan University in Shanghai and the US agency were developing had been proven effective on animals.
Fudan academic Jiang Shibo said his team had designed a Mers-resistant polypeptide HR2P that inhibited the deadly Mers virus from infecting cells.
Jiang was quoted by China Science Daily as saying his team was improving the antibody to produce a soluble antiviral drug that was more stable and active.
The US requires any new drug to undergo four phases – laboratory tests, animal testing, trials on humans and approval from the US Food and Drug Administration – before it can be marketed.
Based on the trial results so far, the polypeptide could theoretically be used in the form of a nasal spray by high-risk groups such as medical staff as a preventative measure, Jiang said.
The news of the Mers antibiotic came as South Korea said the number of deaths linked to the Mers coronavirus has risen by three to reach 19, while the number of diagnosed cases now stands at 154.
There were four new cases today. compared with the previous day’s figure. Three of the four new patients were infected while visiting Seoul’s Samsung Medical Centre which has been pinpointed as the source of about half of cases of infection. Since Sunday, the hospital has partially suspended operations and stopped receiving outpatients in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading.
South Korea’s tourism vice-minister Kim Chong said more than 100,000 foreigners had cancelled trips to the country since the month began. Foreign currency earnings were expected to drop by US$2.3 billion if tourist numbers were halved, he said.
“Our tourism industry is faced with a very dire situation,” Kim said, pledging US$64 million of aid for tourism-related businesses. An average of 1.18 million people each month visited South Korea last year.
South Korea’s Mers outbreak started on May 20 when a 68-year-old man was diagnosed after a trip to Saudi Arabia.
One patient became the mainland’s first confirmed case after the 44-year-old man ignored doctors’ advice and flew from Seoul to Hong Kong before travelling by coach to Huizhou in Guangdong.
The man’s condition was now stable and he could soon be discharged from hospital, Zhong told China Business News.
“The patient has shown no fever symptoms for six consecutive days and has developed antibodies against the virus since June 9,” he said.
On Friday, samples from the man’s mucus, blood and urine all tested negative for Mers, and only a small amount of the virus was found in his excrement, Zhong said. He added that once the patient made a full recovery, he would not get infected again or transmit the virus to others.
“The patient has already developed his own antibodies that would stop him from becoming infected again,” he said.
Although Mers had been around since 2012, it drew more international attention only this year after the virus was brought from the Middle East to other countries, Zhong said.
“We have made certain progress in developing the antibody for Mers, but the development has not yet come to the clinical phase, making it impossible for use in patients because of safety concerns,” he said.
With additional reporting from Kyodo
