World View: WHO Meets to Discuss MERS Virus Pandemic Threat

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• WHO emergency meetings discuss MERS virus pandemic threat
• Pakistan Taliban sends hundreds of fighters to Syria
• Islamic State of Iraq launches multiple attacks in Ramadan

WHO emergency meetings discuss MERS virus pandemic threat

The Hajj, to take place in October, is considered a serious danger for triggering a MERS pandemic

The World Health Association (WHO) is meeting in emergency sessionlast week and this week over concerns that the Middle EasternRespiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has been showing increasedsigns of spreading from human to human, and because there areapparently a large but unknown number of relatively mild cases of MERSthat are going undetected. There have been a total of 80lab-confirmed cases, with 44 deaths, almost all in Saudi Arabia. Aparticular concern is the long incubation period — about 12 days –which means that someone could contract the disease and spread it toother people for 12 days without showing any symptoms.

The Muslim world is currently celebrating Ramadan, which brings asmall number of pilgrims to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Ofgreater concern is the Hajj, which will bring millions of Muslims fromaround the world to Saudi Arabia in October for their once in alifetime pilgrimage. It’s possible that MERS will spread among thesehuge crowds of people, without the victims even realizing it untilseveral days after they’ve returned home and possibly infected otherfamily members. Saudi officials are advising everyone who visitstheir country to wear masks, and are discussing with WHO what measuresshould be taken to cope with this global threat. Dubai Chronicle and Recombinomics

Pakistan Taliban sends hundreds of fighters to Syria

Thanks to the stupid policies of Russia’s president Vladimir Putin inprolonging the Syria war by providing an unlimited supply of heavyweapons to the regime of the psychopathic president Bashar al-Assad,Syria has become a magnet for radical Sunni jihadists, anxious tofight against al-Assad and his supply of Russian weapons. We’vereported how jihadists from Russia’s southern (North Caucasus)provinces have been going to Syria to get training and experience thatthey can take back to Russia and use to attack Putin’s government.Now, new reports indicate that Pakistan’s Taliban are doing the samething. They’ve set up training camps and sent hundreds of men toSyria to join the Islamist rebels fighting against al-Assad, in astrategy aimed at cementing ties with al-Qaeda’s central leadership.A Taliban commander says that they’ll soon issue videos to describetheir victories in Syria. Reuters

Islamic State of Iraq launches multiple attacks in Ramadan

In the southern city of Nasriya, two car bombs left one dead and 12 injured (Reuters)

Ramadan only began on Wednesday, but since then dozens of people havebeen killed in deadly attacks across Iraq. On Sunday alone, threeroadside bombs near markets in Basra killed at least 28 and left 98others. Almost 30 more people were killed in attacks in other Iraqcities on Sunday. There were 25 killed on Saturday. The attacks havebeen launched by Sunni terrorists in the Islamic State of Iraq.Sectarian tensions have been inflamed by the sectarian proxy war inneighboring Syria, as sectarian Sunni vs Shia conflict spreads aroundthe entire Mideast. Iraq is getting closer to sectarian collapse.Al-Jazeera

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