Health infrastructure at the site of the suspect MERS case in Mumbai, India

Hat tip to @makoto_au_japon for bringing this article to the fore

Facilities for patient isolation at the Kasturba hospital, Mumbai, where the 40M undergoing testing for (hopefully) a range of respiratory viruses including MERS-CoV, are less than ideal.

A report on The Times of India notes poor bed separation, concern for healthcare workers (HCWs) dealing with the case (whatever respiratory virus they have) and whether World Health Organisation minimum requirements of management of patients with airborne infections can be met. N95 particulate respirators are considered very important for protection of HCWs and caregivers.

If the case is MERS-CoV negative, this may be something of a wake-up call to the regional health authorities.