MERS-CoV: Action Plan Components for Addressing Community Health Needs

This report examines the components of an action plan implemented by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to address the MERS-CoV outbreak and its impact on community health. It highlights two key components: public health surveillance and control management, and the expansion of laboratory diagnostic capacity. The response involved the deployment of rapid response teams, development of national infection prevention control guidelines, and training of healthcare personnel in sample collection and handling. The establishment of a surveillance system for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and the training of laboratory personnel were crucial in understanding the epidemiology of MERS-CoV and minimizing the risk of infection spread. The collaborative efforts between the Saudi Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), and other countries played a vital role in controlling the spread of the virus.

Running head: COMPONENTS OF ACTION PLAN FOR ADDRESSING MERS-COV
Components of Action Plan for Addressing MERS-CoV
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COMPONENTS OF ACTION PLAN FOR ADDRESSING MERS-COV 1
Components of Action Plan for Addressing MERS-CoV
Emergency and disaster planning is an almost accurate approach that involves
cooperative processes from different stakeholders with the goal of minimizing the spread of
disaster outbreak. Failure to plan is risky as it places the lives of other people at risk and may
increase the costs of managing and eradicating disasters. Actions plans are needed not only for
managing the disaster, but also for continuity of life as society copes with the impact of the
outbreak. Action plans act as a guide for recovery and reconstruction processes when disaster
strikes. The components of an action plan include public health surveillance and control
management, infection protection and control, risk communication, case management, and
establishing laboratory capacity for studying and understanding the infectious disaster (Al-
abaidani et al., 2014). This paper discusses how the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia responded to the
MERS-CoV outbreak by utilizing two of the components of an action plan for addressing
community health needs in disasters.
According to Delkins (2014), the regional and national rapid response team responded to
the disaster immediately the first cases were confirmed. MERS-Cov is a viral respiratory
infection that spreads through human contact. As a result, there is a need for practical measures
to ensure that the virus does not spread to healthcare providers and other people that come into
contact with the infected. Al-baidani et al. (2014) explain that the World Health Organization
(WHO) dispatched a team of experts to help in surveying and controlling the disease. To manage
and control the spread of the viral infection, the ministry of health sent professionals to screen
and help prevent the spread of infections to those in contact with patients. Additionally, Within
the next fourteen days after the first case had been reported, the government and the ministry of
health with the help of WHO came up with immediate national infection prevention control
guidelines to deal with confirmed cases in the region at large.
The second component of the action plan that was implemented to tackle the spread of
MERS-CoV was the expansion of laboratory diagnostic capacity and facilities. The ministry of
health in conjunction with WHO trained laboratory personnel on how to collect samples,
package, and ship them for analysis. Staff in all hospitals countrywide were trained on how to
and how to store them to avoid infection through contact. The government initiated a project
with a surveillance system for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI). SARI system operated
in hospitals and countrywide centers by helping in examining the epidemiology of MERS-CoV.
Samples were collected and sent to SARI sentinel sites that had laboratories for studying the
epidemic of MERS-CoV.
Action plans help minimize the risk of spread of infections. The Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia and other countries worked together to reduce the spread of MERS-CoV. Expansion of
laboratory capacities and training of lab personnel aimed to eliminate the risk of infections from
contact with the virus. The disaster surveillance and control management team responded by
addressing the spread of the virus through physical contact.

COMPONENTS OF ACTION PLAN FOR ADDRESSING MERS-COV 2
References
Al-abaidani, I., S., Al-Maani, A., S., Al-Kindi, A., H., Al-Jarkani, A., K., Abdel-Hady, D., M.,
Zayed, B., E., Al-Harthy, K., S., Al-Shaksy, K., H., & Al-Abri, S., S. (2014). Overview
of preparedness and response for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus
(MERS-CoV) in Oman. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 29, 309-310.
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